


Shine on me

by Bbulti



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action, Baekhyun had a rough childhood, Clones, Confusing concept of superpowers, M/M, Pls don't judge all the science I invented, Power era Baekhyun and Jongdae, Romance, X-EXO Clone Byun Baekhyun, X-EXO Clone Park Chanyeol, alien planets, mentioned past abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 58,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27232600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bbulti/pseuds/Bbulti
Summary: When Chanyeol nearly ran over something that night, he didn't mean to discover a whole new world he was somehow involved with. He doesn't mind the cute alien that came with it though.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 6
Kudos: 55
Collections: EXO MONSTERFEST 2020





	Shine on me

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! This is the first time I'm writing a proper fic and it's been a big challenge, so even though I'm not sure how it turned out to be, I'm really excited and nervous to share it. Thank you M for encouraging and helping me, and thank you mods for being so sweet!! I hope you'll enjoy this story and thank you for reading.

It was late in the evening, the heat of the long summer day leaving its place to a windless warm night, the humid air sticking to Chanyeol's skin and plastering his messy hair on his forehead.

He was way too tired to drive, his car's aircon had been acting up for a week now and the radio wasn't working well for the better part of the route due to the lack of signal in the forest, leaving him as a frustrated and exhausted mess behind the wheel.

The city was starting to get visible in the distance, the messily scattered lights giving it a far more sophisticated aura than it had. 

Chanyeol was more of a nature enthusiast, spending every bit of his free time at his family house in the province, basking in all the green and away from the busking city that failed to appeal to him even though it had been years since he moved out.

Finally leaving the dingy, old concrete road and reaching the asphalt, he let out a sigh and fumbled with the radio again, trying to find a better frequency now that he left the forest. Twenty more minutes and he would be home.

The buzzing white noise and static sounds occasionally shifted to let the voice of a late night radio show host coming through his speakers, Chanyeol's attention on the many buttons to find a better channel.

A sudden beam of white flashed on the road before him, followed by a loud impact before he could hit the brakes at full force. It took a disoriented Chanyeol a few moments to come to his senses and for his mind to grasp the situation.

He just hit something. 

Too scared to do anything, the dazed man sat still, immobilized from the shock with his knuckles turning white from his forceful grip on the wheel. 

The statics of the radio sounded eerier now, with the realization that he just hit something heavy in the air, his long limbs paralyzed while his mind couldn't grasp any coherent thought running through it.

Beads of cold sweat rolled down his temples, adding to the sticky mess on his face and neck, and only after a long and shaky exhale, Chanyeol mustered up the courage to kill the engine and slowly open his door.

God, what if he hit  _ someone _ instead of something?

But it was impossible. He was in the middle of nowhere, too far from the city and right before the never ending forests following the road. No one could be wandering around here, especially not at night.

He was too afraid to see what caused the impact, too afraid to see a poor animal he injured because of a second of distraction. Chanyeol was a complete sweetheart when it came to animals and just the thought of hurting one was simply horrible.

But what greeted him confused him even more, causing him to stride over the other side of his car with confused steps and come back again with furrowed brows and a curious gaze.

Nothing. 

There was nothing, no bump on his car, no someone or something, no blood. Nothing that could indicate that he hit something a minute ago. 

He craned his neck and squinted in the distance, searching for a scared or wounded animal trying to run off or anything that could explain the loud thud earlier. 

Movements around the mass of trees in the distance caught his attention, the distinctive sound of creaking branches unmistakable in the heavy silence engulfing him.

Chanyeol's heart nearly stopped when he made out a shadowy figure scarily looking like a man, a hunched posture quickly disappearing between the trees. 

Were his eyes playing tricks on him? 

Why would someone run away in the woods instead of crying out for help?

"H-hello?" His voice wasn't as strong as he wanted it to be when he called out, his trembling fingers clenched into fists at his sides.

Impossible.

It simply couldn't have been a human. 

Chanyeol went back in his car when nothing but the eerie silence of the woods answered him, taking a few breaths before starting the engine again, his eyes not leaving the rear mirror until the forest disappeared into the darkness of the night.

A week passed. A week identical to every other in Chanyeol's monotonous life, except for the fact that his mind often drifted to that particular night where his car collided with.. what was it exactly?

Thinking over the same event so many times made Chanyeol question his own memory after a few days and mostly sleepless nights, the images of the eventful night blurring and messing in his head.

Maybe he just imagined it.

Maybe he had been so fatigued that he was about to doze off behind the wheel and simply startled himself awake.

There seemed no logical explanation as to why someone would run away in the woods after being hit by a car, and that was the sole reason Chanyeol could keep his sanity together until now.

He couldn't possibly bear the thought of hurting someone or something just because he failed to focus while driving. 

So everyday as worrisome thoughts filled his mind, Chanyeol tried to convince himself that nothing hurtful happened that night, that he was only tired and mistook a second of distraction for an accident.

He didn't dare to go back and check.

On Friday night Chanyeol finally mustered up the courage to believe that he didn't bump against anything. There were no traces of an accident on his car at all, not a single soul around him that night, and he was pretty much convinced that the mere flash of color coming from the forest didn't mean anything.

With his mind set on forgetting the incident all together, he treated himself by ordering a ridiculously large amount of his favorite pizza and ate on his couch while watching a cartoons channel in his most comfortable clothes, constantly reminding his overthinking mind to stop caring about it already.

He was humming along the ending theme of a cartoon under his breath as he went to get a second drink for himself, closing the fridge with a disoriented foot while dancing an imaginary choreography in his head and bumping his head in sync with the fancy moves his mind provided him.

It took him one second too long to comprehend what was happening when he turned around to go back and watch the next cartoon, his mouth opening in a silent scream as his body froze and the can of soda dropped to the floor, rolling away with a loud clunk.

There was a stranger in front of him. 

Right there. 

In his house.

"Wh–"

For a fleeting second, a tiny dumb part of his mind messed up his priorities and thought  _ fuck that can is so gonna leave a dent on the floor and the landlord is gonna end me _ , while sirens blared in his ears at the same time, his feet carrying him a few steps back on their own. 

Well, at least his fight or flight wasn't broken. 

It felt like the scariest nightmare he would scream himself out of but ten times more real, Chanyeol opening his mouth to scream, to say anything, but no matter the amount of his tries, his voice seemed to be stuck in his throat, leaving him looking like an ugly wheezing mess on the spot. He clutched his palpitating heart with a hand as he stepped backward instinctively, his back now plastered to the fridge. 

What was he supposed to do? Cry for help? Call the police? Beg for mercy?

"W–what do you want?" He managed to let out, his mind struggling with overlapping thoughts.

Before he could even think about reaching for a potential weapon to defend himself, the stranger, still stuck at the same place, tilted his head sideways and kept watching him with a stoic expression, eyes raking up and down his body as if he was looking for something specific.

His stance and aura were screaming danger but Chanyeol could only stand there and watch him back, a weird gut feeling keeping him from running away. It was creepy, the way the stranger didn’t feel foreign at all. 

A vague sense of familiarity rushed over Chanyeol while he was still waiting for an answer to his stupid question. He took in the man's appearance, his mismatched clothes and the messy nest of dark hair on top of his head.

Was he even considered a man? Or was he just a boy? Chanyeol had seriously no idea but he hoped it wasn't a goddamn kid who broke into his house.

His eyes fell on the rather old clothing of the man, the crumpled fabrics a few sizes bigger on his limbs, which made him look even younger than he probably was. But that wasn't the only bizarre thing about him, it was rather his face.

A faint but visible streak of the lightest sky blue was glowing down his hairline to cross his right eye of the same shade, shifting under his eye and ending high on his sharp cheekbone. The gleaming sparkles seemed to flow in different shades throughout the weird mark, tickling a distant memory in Chanyeol's head.

It was when their eyes met for the first time that realization dawned upon Chanyeol. 

This man was exactly what he saw in the forest that cursed night.

Chanyeol nearly killed him last week.

But how come he didn't look even slightly injured? Not that Chanyeol wanted him to be hurt, but just how? Who was he exactly? And most importantly, how the hell did he even find him?

"Who are you?" He asked, trying to sort out his questions through the whirlwind in his mind, feeling just a tad calmer now that he could make out that the stranger seemed pretty much unharmed. 

Upon looking properly, the shorter man even seemed in a pretty bad condition, his whole demeanor screaming fatigue and the lack of sleep visibly displayed on his face and stance. He was checking out Chanyeol's appearance with puzzled eyes, his nose scrunching from time to time like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be allies or enemies.

Chanyeol watched in fascination as the swirling blues subsided and turned into a faint silver trace against pale skin, deep tainted irises morphing until they shifted to a warm tone of brown.

Straightening his back and hoping to look somehow intimidating with his height, Chanyeol tried his best to control his voice as he continued with his questions despite the lack of answers he got. "What are you doing here?"

The man slightly cocked his head to the side and looked like he was trying to decipher Chanyeol's words with a slight furrow appearing between his eyebrows. His eyes fell on Chanyeol's abdomen once again which made him weirdly uncomfortable with the sudden hostility emanating from the stranger.

Chanyeol was practicing for his next question in his head and simultaneously trying not to freak out because  _ holy fuck a stranger broke in my house _ when the mysterious man finally spoke with a barely noticeable voice, strings of random sounds falling from his parted lips in quick sequenced syllabes.

"What– what was  _ that _ ?" Chanyeol gaped, his eyes widening in curiosity. It totally sounded like a whole made up language to his ears and as much as he was a nerd, Chanyeol was not ready for that kind of situation.

He got a deadpan look as an answer, as if he was supposed to understand the complicated syllabes the first time, followed by a deep and long sigh. "Name."

That only left him dumbfounded for a few seconds more because how was  _ that _ a name?

Was this some kind of joke? Because it wasn't funny at all.

“I- How-” He stuttered, trying to recall what he heard just moments ago. It shouldn’t be  _ that _ hard, but he simply couldn’t remember the unmatching sounds. “I don’t think I can pronounce it.” He admitted in the end, averting his eyes awkwardly.

Hearing a huffed sigh and what sounded like murmured complaints was a bit embarrassing, but when his eyes met the stranger’s flickering orbs, Chanyeol couldn’t make out visible irritation, only a brief beat of silence before the other spoke up rather reluctantly. “Just– call me Baekhyun.”

It sounded rather foreign on his tongue, but weirdly familiar to Chanyeol, stirring a distant emotion and evoking a forgotten memory that slipped his mind over time, yet before he could get a solid grip on it, he found himself lost in the middle of nowhere in his mind.

The lack of enthusiasm was palpable in the man’s voice and that made Chanyeol wonder briefly but at least he had something to call him now.

“Baekhyun?” He tried the name, finding it rolling easily off his tongue. It sounded like a common name although Chanyeol didn't remember someone with the same name. “What was the other name, though?” At that, he was totally ignored, Baekhyun refusing to even glance at him all of a sudden.

Not wanting to look ridiculous with his mouth opened wide and his confused eyes or even worse, pissing the man off, Chanyeol cleared his throat before asking again, relieved the least bit that they were now somehow conversing yet still on edge. "Okay, so.. how exactly did you find me?"

Instead of a verbal answer, Baekhyun took a slow step forward which made Chanyeol alert again, his heartbeat spiking all of a sudden. Oh no, this was so gonna end up bad. Was he about to die?

"A-Are you here for revenge?" He blurted, fearing for his life. He knew he was being overdramatic, the man looked more like a malnourished kid if Chanyeol had to be honest, but the weird tattoo and his aura gave Chanyeol not so good feelings about him. 

"I swear I didn't do it on purpo–" He stopped babbling when the man- no the boy, he definitely looked more like a boy up-close, stood right in front of him, and a voice awfully similar to his best friend's screamed to run in Chanyeol's frozen mind.

"I won't hurt you."

Oh, okay. He hoped it would be the case but how exactly was he supposed to believe that?

Chanyeol hated it when he found his voice slowly convincing himself in his mind.  _ He doesn’t look dangerous at all _ , but again, soft hearted Chanyeol wasn’t good at judging people to begin with, let alone thinking that a small man like this could be dangerous.

Trying to stop his thoughts wandering to his much smaller and more dangerous best friend yet again, Chanyeol gave an awkward nod, having absolutely no idea what he was consenting for or if he was even thinking at this point.

He was too busy staring at the now faint tattoo gliding down Baekhyun’s rather small face that he didn’t even notice two slender hands sneaking up between their bodies. 

“Whoa– wait!” His reaction was instantaneous and not a really proud one, but Chanyeol wasn’t trying to appear cool when he was faced with potential danger. Shrieking and trying to step away at the same time, Chanyeol unceremoniously collided with the fridge he momentarily forgot about behind him. “W– what are you doing?”

Hands stopped mid-air and Chanyeol was met with the most unenthusiastic eyes he ever saw in his life, and from the way his lips were pressed in a thin line, Baekhyun also seemed exasperated. “Don’t move.” He merely sighed.

Chanyeol took note of his heavy accent. Where was Baekhyun exactly from? 

Despite being dressed quite poorly with clothes that didn’t seem like they belonged to him, he still managed to maintain a proper look, and although his shorter figure and slimmer body making him look weak compared to Chanyeol’s height and stature, his stance spoke more than his appearance while the fact that he looked both unharming and ready to pounce at the same time confused Chanyeol greatly.

Why the hell was Chanyeol still not running away?

He remained frozen while Baekhyun’s hands continued their trajectory upward and stopped on his face, taking a delicate yet steady hold of his cheeks with cool fingertips resting on his temples.

Had it been under other circumstances, their position and the small action would fluster Chanyeol, but the little reasonable part of his brain was still sending him warnings and tried to save his ass from any potential danger.  _ You're the one to blame if one day your body is thrown in a dark alley _ .

Chanyeol felt in a trance, watching with pure fascination as the glittering mark on Baekhyun’s face became prominent again, along with the color of his eyes buzzing to shift into a clear blue. 

Deepless eyes turned up to stare at him without blinking once, pupils widening and the light blues switching shades continuously, matching the streams of faded greys and whites dancing around his strangely glowing tattoo.

Too engrossed in Baekhyun’s hypnotizing orbs to think or feel anything, Chanyeol didn’t realize that the pain or whatever feeling he prepared himself for never came, the only change being the slightly increased press of cool fingers on his skin. 

After a few moments in which Chanyeol totally lost the perception of time, Baekhyun's eyes slowly stopped glowing and his tattoo faded to a faint mark resting on his face again. He blinked several times and cleared his throat as he took his hands away, leaning back but still staying too close for Chanyeol’s comfort.

“What was that about?” Chanyeol hoped the hitch in his breath could pass as nervousness and not the excitement he tried to suppress.

“Language transfer.” Baekhyun's tone was as flat as before and even from the short answer, Chanyeol could make out the lack of the heavy accent from before. He nodded his head absently and tried to take the absurd situation he was in, only to come up with more questions with every answer he got.

Language transfer? In what world was that even a thing?

“Where are you from?” 

Did he even want to know that?

“Elyxion” Baekhyun’s eyes were definitely searching for something on Chanyeol’s face, probably for him to get his joke and laugh along, but he seemed oddly serious and his gaze was way too inquiring to be just waiting for a reaction to his joke. When Chanyeol only blinked as an answer, he huffed in defeat and added. “It’s an exoplanet.”

“I’m- I don’t..” Chanyeol paused, racking his brain to find anything similar, he was sure he heard the term before, and the memory was just about to come back to him but he just couldn’t concentrate enough with an intense gaze bored onto him. “I’m sorry, I’m not following.”

“You don’t know about exoplanets?” Okay now he just sounded like an exasperated Kyungsoo, and Chanyeol decided that it wasn’t nice hearing that tone coming out from someone else than his best friend. Either his emotions flashed on his face or simply because the man wasn’t a complete asshole, his tone was much softer when he continued after clearing his throat briefly. “It means a planet outside of the Solar System.”

A moment of awkward silence followed the statement, Chanyeol’s eyebrows moving comically fast with the rush of different thoughts and emotions while Baekhyun kept watching him intensely.

“You mean to say that you’re an alien?”

That didn’t seem like what the man intended to hear at all by the way his face scrunched up and his eyes widened. He looked puzzled for a beat then blinked and jutted his lips forward. He clearly seemed offended and Chanyeol would have felt bad for him if he wasn’t that freaked out. Trying to stop the guilt creeping under his skin, Chanyeol dispersed his thoughts by shaking his head.  _ He’s just a weirdo _ .

“I mean,” Baekhyun started, his lips curling distractingly around the words. “You're also an alien to me, so I guess this is weird for both of us.”

Chanyeol tore his gaze off the pink flesh on Baekhyun’s face, looking at his faintly glowing tattoo instead. Realization hit him rather harshly despite his suspicions and all the facts before his eyes. This was really happening. “You’re serious.”

To his surprise, only an amused chuckle left Baekhyun’s lips, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Okay, he was definitely cute, but this wasn’t the right time to think about that. Taking in the fact that he was still smiling widely, hues of blues now swirling in his orbs, Chanyeol went in panic because what if –

“Wait, can you hear my thoughts too?”

That sent Baekhyun into a fit of laughter as Chanyeol watched him in horror because he just made a complete fool out of himself. He tried to shut his mind off and stop giving the other a good laughing material, huffing in embarrassment when finally the soft giggles died down.

“No, I can’t.” Baekhyun simply stated, his lips still curled upwards. His eyes were now back to brown, but Chanyeol could swear he could still see sparkles in them. “But it made me wonder what you thought I heard to look like that.” His eyebrows raised as he gave Chanyeol a pointed look, making heat rise up on his face.

Chanyeol averted his eyes from Baekhyun’s rather captivating eyes and hoped his face wasn’t as flushed as he felt, taking a deep breath to calm himself down before mumbling. “Anyways.” He tried to use his height and look intimidating again, straightening his back and looking down only to stutter and curse himself in his mind after. “S-so, how.. how did you end up here?”

_ And how the hell did you get in my house without even opening the damn door? _

Baekhyun looked taken aback and Chanyeol could only watch as a load of emotions surged through his eyes, his tattoo almost buzzing with flashes of blues. “I-” He opened his mouth only to close it back after, clearly thinking about what happened to him while Chanyeol watched the crease between his eyebrows deepening every passing second. 

“I encountered technical difficulties with my spacecraft, so I had to land here to survive.”

“That’s all?” It was clearly not just that. It didn’t even make any sense. But Chanyeol didn’t really know how to ask about it because the man was visibly more tense than a few seconds ago. Part of him still thought he was just a lunatic but he had a serious face and calculating eyes on. “I mean, can't you go back? What happened to your.. ship?” He tried again. Was he seriously playing along? Why did everything seem so absurd but somehow felt real?

“I failed the emergency landing, something was wrong with the control panel.” 

Chanyeol couldn't make out the following words muttered lowly, Baekhyun mumbling in a totally different language to himself. It sounded kinda intimidating and a little too forward, with pronounced vowels and distinct consonants yet not guttural or like groaning sounds straight up from a war movie, just some sharp syllables with a tongue curled forward, maybe like latin or whatever other ancient language Chanyeol had no idea about, weird taps and trills he couldn't keep up with, sometimes sounding like hitched words with a nice flow.

Chanyeol was so caught up with deciphering what kind of language it sounded like that he nearly jumped up when Baekhyun stopped his monologue, suddenly lifting his head again and looking at him while summing up his story in a sentence.

“My ship crashed and I can't go back nor communicate with anyone back at home.”

Hearing the last word coming out of Baekhyun's mouth, Chanyeol felt a pang in his heart. Now that he looked again, the smaller man definitely looked like a homeless cat in his eyes, and Chanyeol was way too soft when it came to homeless cats. 

But still he didn't know how he was involved in all of that and where he was exactly fitting in this story.

“I don't mean to offend you but– uhm.. why did you come to me?” He asked, unsure.

Baekhyun gave him a long, scrutinizing look, which made Chanyeol wonder if he could see right through his soul with the intensity of it. After looking like he made his mind, he sighed and for a moment Chanyeol thought he was acting shyly with the way he kept biting on his lower lip.

“I was able to use my telepathic abilities for a brief moment when you– when we encountered last week.” 

_ Oh, how sweet of him to say so instead of “when you nearly ran over me with your car” _ . 

“So after a week of failed attempts at repairing my ship, I came to find you. To see if.. if I could do it again.” The hopeful look he had made him look like a little lost boy, and the way his teeth sank in his lower lip made Chanyeol curious and eager to find out if it was as soft as it looked. 

“Was that what you did just now? With you know – ” Chanyeol willed the heat away from his face. “Holding my face and your.. tattoo.” He asked distractedly, trying to tear his gaze away from the entrancing sight.

As if trying to tantalize him, Baekhyun pushed his swollen lower lip out, taking his time to soothe the rosy flesh with the tip of his tongue before answering. “No, I told you it was language transfer. I did it with someone back where I landed first, but I couldn't exactly understand you earlier so I decided to do it again.”

Chanyeol had a little existential crisis right there while Baekhyun frowned and talked to himself again, wondering what exactly he got himself into.

“I must have done it with someone inadequate before.” He continued, engrossed in the tiny detail.  _ Why does it even matter _ , Chanyeol thought, yet he still didn’t bother interrupting him, watching the soft crease between his eyebrows deepening.

“No wonder why he was so small.” Baekhyun concluded and that finally caught Chanyeol’s attention.

“You mean you did the language thing with a child?” Chanyeol tried to stop judging him but trying to learn a language -was that even what he was doing?- from a child was the dumbest idea he heard in awhile. However, Baekhyun didn’t seem like he understood the issue at all, tilting his head once again.

“Yeah, why does it matter? Can't children speak here?” He seemed genuinely curious, which baffled Chanyeol.

“Uh, no? Not fluently at least. Can yours?” Damn, Chanyeol was really going along with the whole thing. Just what kind of alien was this man? Did he come from the future? Was he simply crazy? Chanyeol was ready to believe any kind of nonsense at this point.

“Of course, our genes are all adjusted during the reproduction phase so we’re programmed to be perfect and not lacking in any area.” Chanyeol definitely didn’t want to visualize the explanation because first of all, how did they even do that, and secondly, that was some creepy shit. “-so children aren't that different from us beside their sizes and physical growth over time.” 

“Oh.” The way he explained it all as if it was something normal freaked Chanyeol a bit, but if he had to be honest with himself, he was also kind of fascinated.

It felt like watching an intricate sci-fi movie or reading a dystopian novel where he had to explore a whole new world, getting lost in the infinite possibilities of different lifestyles and even different species in this case.

Chanyeol only realized they were still standing the dimly lit area between the living room and the kitchen when he needed to shift his weight between his feet yet again, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck and awkwardly bending to take his forgotten soda can on the floor, pointing his couch with it. “Do you wanna.. sit and have a drink?”

God, this was really the stupidest thing Chanyeol had ever done, making friends with someone who just broke into his house. He should have called the police instead of offering Baekhyun a drink.

But somehow, Baekhyun’s relieved smile and the curve lingering around his lips erased his worries -and maybe also his rationality- so Chanyeol decided to follow his instincts.

After an hour or so of talking -definitely not interrogating- to Baekhyun in front of his now muted tv, Chanyeol learned quite a number of things about his planet, his only and best friend that he was referring as his  _ kanae _ , and about his beloved kitten that he couldn't find after crashing down with his ship. It was exciting as Chanyeol already predicted and what caught his interest the most was the kitten, if he had to be honest. He didn’t even see her once yet he loved her already.

It was definitely the weirdest and most interesting experience in his life, finding out about something entirely new and beyond his imagination, which made Chanyeol wonder about the possibility of it all from time to time. What were the odds of an alien who had control over the purest form of energy called mana to casually chat with Chanyeol in his living room? But Baekhyun looked so open and simply honest with his answers that he made it hard to even doubt him.

Chanyeol listened attentively and took in all of these facts and information, yet he still couldn't memorize, let alone pronounce Baekhyun’s original name. Trying the syllables in his head only confused him more and he was sure he was missing more than a few letters. Hell, did they even have letters back on their planet? He couldn’t be sure about anything.

Worrying about offending Baekhyun, Chanyeol tried to concentrate and follow his lead but his own tongue didn’t listen to him, refusing to roll and curl like he wanted it. He was embarrassed about it at this point, failing at being unable to do something so simple as saying a name even after numerous attempts. But thankfully Baekhyun only encouraged him and tried to persuade him that it was okay, chuckling softly in amusement after his embarrassing tries.

“Sorry I’m so bad at this.” Chanyeol finally gave up, apologizing while scratching his neck in embarrassment.

“It’s okay,” Baekhyun assured him. “Baekhyun  _ is _ my name too, or you can call me however you would be comfortable.”

“Like a nickname?” Chanyeol asked, already stressing over the idea. He had always been bad at naming things, and this was about naming a whole person. Whatever an alien looking like a human was considered as. Chanyeol simply sucked at it.

“If you want.” Baekhyun nodded, looking up at him with big eyes and a small smile. He looked rather expectant.

_ I wanna call him Snowy because he reminds me of the little kitty I saved at 7. _

Chanyeol was so glad his thoughts weren’t heard considering the fact that his mind was a literal mess and he was thinking nonsense. He didn’t need to look dumb in front of an alien he barely met.

“It’s okay.” He concluded. “I’ll just call you Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun gave him a little smile, in which Chanyeol lost himself a little. He was stunned by the alien’s charm, at the way he was a total stranger yet made it look so easy to fit here, on Chanyeol’s couch and talking to him. Never in his life Chanyeol thought he’d warm up to someone that quickly, no matter how friendly and kind hearted he was. He was also aware that it would definitely sound strange for anyone else, but Chanyeol relied on his gut feeling a lot, even if it rendered him gullible at times.

Baekhyun looked younger like this, when his eyes were just a warm brown and droopy at the corners, contrasting with the eloquent and powerful blues from earlier which gave him a whole different persona. He just looked like himself right now, with a pleased expression softening his features.

“How old are you?” Chanyeol asked, suddenly curious. They seemed around the same age, if Baekhyun wasn’t younger than him.

He really thought his ears deceived him when Baekhyun answered with an innocent face that didn’t match his words at all. “I’m 88.” Chanyeol was busy gaping at him when he asked back. “And you?”

“Uh, 27? You– you look younger..” He trailed off, not knowing what to say else without sounding rude.

Baekhyun looked puzzled for a second, his tattoo flashing a clear blue reflecting in his orbs then fading as soon as it appeared, his face relaxing. “I’m 88 in my planet, which would be inaccurate here with the time dilation.”

“I don’t really get it, you mean you’re not 88?”

“Not in solar years, I’m not.” Baekhyun explained. “Time runs differently in our planets, same goes for how we measure it in our galaxies. Elyxion is orbiting a supermassive black hole, so the gravitational field is much stronger than here, causing the time running much slower compared to Earth.”

Chanyeol was lost and very much baffled, already losing track around the fifth word or so and blankly watching Baekhyun’s face as he talked. “Wow, did you really take those words from my mind?” He wondered out loud. “Because I can’t understand them at all.”

Baekhyun’s face looked somewhere between annoyed and amused, his lips parting wordlessly.

_ Cute _ , Chanyeol thought. He was definitely cute. 

“I need to check the data for an exact number but from what I can roughly calculate right now, time is around three times faster here, so it makes me just a little older than you.” Checking Chanyeol’s expression, he added. “I’m considered around 30 years old on Earth.”

“You’re really an alien.” Chanyeol stated dumbly. The explanations were enough to confirm it, no human should be able to understand the weird concept of time varying in different planets. No, this was definitely some complicated alien stuff.

“I thought we agreed on that already.” Baekhyun breathed out a short laugh, his tone joyful and teasing. He still didn’t feel real to Chanyeol. It shouldn’t be that easy to believe a random stranger like that, yet Chanyeol inexplicably did. Every answer he got had led him to more questions and confused him, but even that was not enough for him to doubt Baekhyun the slightest bit. He just wanted to know more about the alien and help him if he could. 

“Do you have an alien form or you look like that in general?” Chanyeol blurted his question before even thinking if it could be offensive for the other, a slight worry creeping up his chest.

“Mostly.” Seeing Chanyeol’s lost face, the alien continued to explain himself without showing any indication that he was annoyed or angry with Chanyeol’s incessant questions. “My genes can remodel themselves to the most profitable shape and perfectly mimic entire functional systems.”

If he could only speak in simpler sentences and make everything easier for Chanyeol’s overwhelmed brain. Chanyeol felt the need to confirm if he got facts right after every answer he got, and it honestly made him feel a bit dumb after a while. “You mean your body is pretending to be human?”

“Let’s just call it an enhanced form of adaptation,” Baekhyun pursed his lips in contemplation, nodding to himself before continuing. “I can suit any kind of environment as long as there are living organisms around.”

“Wow, so you can shift shapes and survive on different planets?” Chanyeol was going back to be amazed by the alien’s abilities, watching him with wide eyes as he explained more.

“Yes, like I just said, I do have different types of genes so I can incorporate them in my body when I need to.”

Chanyeol wasn’t the best when it came to biology or whatever other subject that could explain him the human body, but at least he knew what Baekhyun could do was simply impossible for humans. It was like magic. “Like superpowers?”

“What do they even teach you on this planet?” Baekhyun chuckled in disbelief, and Chanyeol decided that the playful little melody was his favorite sound from now on.

“Hey I don’t really go around seeing aliens everyday, you can’t blame me for being curious.” Chanyeol whined, his own lips curling despite his protest. He couldn’t find it in himself to get actually annoyed at the alien.

“Right, I forgot you’re not really used to aliens around here.” Baekhyun nodded absentmindedly, his mouth stretching into a big yawn as his nose scrunched up adorably. Chanyeol was tempted to coo at the sight and boop his nose but tried to reason with himself in his mind.  _ He’s still a stranger _ , he noted to himself.  _ A cute alien with superpowers _ .

Chanyeol took in his appearance once again, his tousled dark hair and crumpled clothes, the way he rolled his neck every now and then and the way he squeezed his eyes shut then opened them back to focus again. Baekhyun looked like the embodiment of exhaustion.

“Are you tired?” Baekhyun startled at the sudden question. He seemed to be sleeping with his eyes open. “Do you wanna sleep? Shower first, maybe?” Chanyeol asked again. The alien shook his head as if he was clearing his thoughts and watched Chanyeol in a silent contemplation which made the taller wonder again. “Uh, do you not wash up? Or sleep?” He asked.

That would be a little gross for the first case or simply cruel for the second, but luckily Baekhyun shook his head again, straightening his hunched back. “No, we do both.” He looked lost for a second, his droopy eyes looking dazed. “Sorry I’m just tired.” He actually looked embarrassed about that fact, or Chanyeol was imagining things.

Chanyeol wanted to hurry and tuck him in bed as soon as possible, not even stopping to think how questionable it would be. Meeting a stranger and trusting them too easily was something, but letting them sleep in your house was on another level. However Chanyeol simply refused to think about it, focused on giving Baekhyun the rest and comfort he deserved. How lonely he must be, away from home with nowhere to go?

“Let me show you the bathroom.” He stood up and stretched his long limbs, sighing tiredly. He didn’t even realize how late it had gotten while talking to Baekhyun. 

The alien didn’t only get up to follow him, but sneaked a hand behind Chanyeol’s back, resting it there comfortably as if it was a daily occurrence while Chanyeol struggled to breathe, walking to his bathroom in slow steps.

“Here.” Chanyeol awkwardly took a step away from Baekhyun to flick on the lights and present him his bathroom. “I suppose you know your way around.”

The way Baekhyun’s eyes lit up was a sight to behold, hues of blues sparkling through his tattoo before he turned his head to see the toilet and the little light show on his face disappeared at once. Chanyeol nearly felt the disdain for himself and wondered what was wrong. He really hoped they used a toilet for their business.

“Is everything okay?” He asked, concerned at the sudden negativity emanating from the other.

“It’s nothing important,” Baekhyun was quick to assure him, finally stopping to send daggers at his poor toilet. “I’m just not used to it,” His head cocked towards the toilet, then gestured to his own body. “-and the whole.. process.”

“O-oh,” Chanyeol stuttered awkwardly, not sure what it meant. “You mean you don’t..” His eyes involuntarily trailed down to Baekhyun’s crotch, trying to figure out why he wouldn't be used to seeing a toilet. Did they have more.. primitive ways back on their planet? Weren’t they like super evolved aliens with cool genes and all?

“My digestive system usually doesn’t leave any.. residue. I don’t really appreciate adapting this whole system, if I have to be honest.” 

Chanyeol barely held his snort in, just to avoid offending the alien, but it was way too funny that he had to adapt to all of these things. It must have been weird and rather inconvenient.

“Uhm, I’ll leave you to it then,” Chanyeol fumbled around his little cabinet looking for clean towels and a spare toothbrush. “You can take a shower or a bath, whatever you feel like. Let me just use the toilet quickly first.”

“Sure.” Baekhyun nodded, then went to fill the tub to Chanyeol’s bewilderment . After a few moments of no movements on Chanyeol’s side, the alien looked at him in curiosity. “Do you need some privacy for it?”

“That’d be great.” Chanyeol replied, his mind not quite registering what was going on. He watched as Baekhyun closed the door behind himself and did his business quickly, still thinking what he was exactly doing with letting an alien wash up and sleep in his house.

He went out and saw Baekhyun back on the couch fumbling with the tv remote, skipping through channels until he stopped on a sappy drama re-run, watching it with a heavily questioning gaze.

Chanyeol watched Baekhyun on his couch silently until the latter realized his presence and gave him a tight lipped smile, like he was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to do. He returned the awkward smile with a sincere one, not really knowing what to say to make the alien feel at ease. “The bathroom’s free, I’ll bring you some spare clothes so you’ll be more comfortable.”

Usually, Chanyeol wasn’t known for being perceptive and catching up on little details, but the way Baekhyun’s shoulders relaxed and his eyes sparkled was very obvious to his eyes, resulting in his own mind taking a break. Everything seemed to be okay.

Finding clothes from his college days was a challenge considering his messy wardrobe, but Chanyeol managed to find a decent looking t-shirt and sweatpants, hearing Baekhyun fumbling around in the bathroom. The clothes weren’t that small so they’d probably still be a little long on Baekhyun, but they had to do since they didn’t have many options, it was either those or Baekhyun’s questionable clothes.

Baekhyun had already filled the tub halfway by the time Chanyeol went in to give him his clothes, putting them beside the sink by the towels and checking the temperature of the bathroom after a second thought.

It was his fault to not care about the fumbling coming from behind all the while, so there wasn't anyone but himself to blame when Chanyeol turned his back and saw a totally bare Baekhyun stepping in the now filled tub. He froze as his eyes glued themselves on the alien’s behind, too afraid to accidentally look in the mirror and see what was on his front. What if Baekhyun was.. alien down there? Chanyeol wasn't ready for the imagery yet so he closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, chasing any weird picture coming in his vision before he cleared his throat and spoke. “I- I left everything you'll need here, just call out if you wanna ask something.”

“Thank you.” Baekhyun thankfully managed to bubble up the water so only his torso was visible now from where he was seated, but even that seemed to be too much for Chanyeol’s poor heart.  _ Is his skin glowing or am I dreaming? _

“You don't have to thank me. I'll be readying your bed in the meantime, come out whenever you're done.” He barely managed to tear his gaze away from all the exposed skin and told whatever came to his mind, turning around and closing the door before anything else could happen.

_ Easy Chanyeol, easy _ . He patted his racing chest and tried to keep his breathing in check in the dark hall in front of the bathroom before going to his room.

Chanyeol didn't miss sleeping on the floor at all, but the couch was out of question for his long limbs so the makeshift bed would have to do for now. At least it was summer time, so he didn't need to find a second comforter, not that he owned one anyways. He decided to keep his clothes on to sleep for once, lying down and listening to the sound of water coming from the bathroom.

Just when he was drifting off to sleep, he heard the bathroom door opening along with soft footsteps nearing. “It's the door at the end of the hall.” He called out, hoping Baekhyun was decent enough to come in. Chanyeol didn't think the alien looked like the shameless type, but judging by his thoughtless little actions like sitting or standing a little too close for his own comfort, holding his waist as if it was a habit or taking off his clothes so easily, he must me habituated to these kind of things or physical affection in general. 

To his luck and his poor heart's well being, Baekhyun came in clothed properly, the oversized clothes dangling from his body except for the shirt stretched nicely around his shoulders. He didn't look like the broad type, having a slimmer body than Chanyeol himself, so Chanyeol was bound to think he'd look like a child wearing his parent's clothes but they fit him better than he would have thought. 

Baekhyun took in his surroundings silently and almost looked disappointed when he saw the sleeping arrangement, which made Chanyeol think if there were different sleeping cultures at his own planet or if he had offended him yet again in some way.

“Are you okay with sleeping on the bed?” He wanted to make sure. Baekhyun looked like he wanted to say something but refrained from doing so, slowly nodding his head after a few seconds of silent contemplation, and Chanyeol didn't want to press him so he didn't ask anything else. After a few moments of an awkward stillness and subtle pouting, the alien finally shook his head and broke the silence. “Will you be comfortable al- uh, on the floor?” 

With a smile as reassuring as he could fake, Chanyeol patted the thin bedding under himself as if to show how soft and comfortable it was. “Don't worry, it's nothing I'm not used to.”

“Okay then.” Baekhyun gave him a small tight lipped smile and slowly climbed on the bed, turning his back and heaving a tired sigh. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Chanyeol yawned, drifting off before long.

Chanyeol was very much drowsy when he heard the ruffling sounds before he felt the commotion against himself, his mind unconsciously wanting to get closer to the source of coolness by aligning his body with it, groaning in delight when the heat subsided. It felt good after the suffocating heat. He opened his eyes in shock when his mind cleared the slightest bit. 

“W-what..?” He looked down to see himself clutching Baekhyun's smaller body to himself, the latter's face buried in his chest and his own arms draped around his thin figure. Baekhyun leaned away when Chanyeol finally let him go and looked up at him with apologetic eyes, his irises and tattoo faintly glowing in the dark. 

“I'm sorry I just- I couldn't sleep alone and uh.. I just wanted to share. I was only lying beside you but you-” He averted his eyes and Chanyeol wondered if it was his eyes tricking him or if Baekhyun's eyes were shifting colors and if the blues were now whirling haphazardly unlike their usual pattern. “-you wouldn't let go.” Baekhyun was still babbling, while Chanyeol was busy watching the soft shades of blues sleepily. “I'm sorry, I really didn't try to do anything..” 

Chanyeol blinked a few times and when his thoughts stopped mingling around his head, he looked down and untangled his legs from where they were around Baekhyun's colder ones, his body missing the coolness the second after the contact vanished. “No it's.. it's okay if you can't sleep.” Even the thought of sleeping was enough for his mind to drift off, his eyes getting heavier by the second as he slurred his last words. “You.. stay..” He was already drifting off before he could get any response from the man still halfway in his arms and falling asleep again, not noticing the lack of clothes on the alien in his hazy stupor.

Morning came by and the first thing Chanyeol realized before he could wake up entirely was how comfortable he was, not feeling suffocated by the heat at all and how the presence in his arms was feeling heavenly. He snuggled against it for a while, until his mind cleared and he woke up totally, feeling restrained movements against himself. He nearly screamed when he realized there was someone in his arms, then remembered the blurred memories from the night prior where he let Baekhyun sleep with him, then nearly screamed again when he peeked down with one eye to see a naked Baekhyun in his tight hold.

He hastily pushed the smaller away from his body, mortified upon feeling rather stiff between his own legs and saw that Baekhyun was half clothed.  _ Okay, so it’s just the shirt, not a big deal _ . Yet this was also too much for him.  _ Just a shirt Chanyeol, you always sleep shirtless _ . “I'm- I'm sorry i didn't mean to,” He cleared his throat and forced the words out of the jungle in his mind. ”I was just startled for a second.” 

Baekhyun's wary expression softened at that, then he sat up and looked down at a still puzzled Chanyeol and beamed up,  _ putting the sun to shame with his bright smile _ . “Good morning.”

“Uh-” Chanyeol cleared his throat once again, bending his legs and drawing them close to his body and hiding his problem from the innocent looking alien. “Morning, did you sleep well?”

“Yes, I'm sorry if I bothered you last night. Thank you for letting me sleep with you by the way, I'm not used to sleeping alone at all, and it's also been a whole week but I still can't get used to your long nights.”

_ Was he that talkative last night? _

“Ah I'm sorry, was it too much?” Baekhyun’s eyes widened.

_ Crap, did I make it too obvious? _ Chanyeol didn’t mean to make him feel bad at all, panic slowly rising inside him. Seeing his expression shifting, Baekhyun smiled awkwardly and explained slowly as if not to scare him off. “You're.. kinda thinking out loud.” 

“Oh my– I'm sorry..I just,” Chanyeol sat up too, adjusting his tee over his lap and rubbing his face with his other hand. “I guess I'm still not awake yet.”

“I get it,” The alien was quick to comfort him, a small smile dancing around the curves of his lips. “I was startled when I first woke up too, but it's been a few hours already.”

“Oh shit, I didn't let you go did I?”

“It's okay you didn't bother me that much.” Seeing Chanyeol's puzzled face, Baekhyun continued with a shy smile. “Sorry, it looks like you're not that used to having skinship. Have I been too pushy?”

“No- no I-... yeah I'm not used to it but, I.. you didn't bother me.” Baekhyun didn't look like he was convinced at all, so Chanyeol blurted out without thinking. “I liked it.” The alien’s smile looked like it was worth the embarrassment and the burn of Chanyeol's face. “I mean, your body's quite cold, so.. yeah. I think it's time for some morning coffee.” Chanyeol stood up to get out of the room and waited for Baekhyun to follow him. He turned back and saw the latter's confused face looking up at him. “Oh right, I guess it's my turn to introduce you to some magic.” He smiled while stifling a yawn.” I'll explain what it is after I have a cup, come on.”

Chanyeol was surprised at himself when he saw his own hand reaching out for Baekhyun to hold, and the alien also seemed to think about the same thing as he looked up from the offered hand to Chanyeol's smiling face while holding it to stand up. “Oh and before breakfast..” Chanyeol chuckled awkwardly, “Please wear your shirt. I'm kinda getting used to this whole..” He gestured toward their close proximity, “-thing, but not that fast.” Baekhyun's laugh boomed through the room, and Chanyeol couldn't stop himself from thinking that it was a great day already.

Getting ready for the day side by side at the bathroom and drinking coffee while preparing breakfast seemed oddly domestic despite Chanyeol having done these countless times with roommates in the past. It felt all familiar and fresh with the new company and if Chanyeol had to be honest, it was nice to have someone by his side after living alone for quite a time now. Baekhyun liked his coffee black no matter how much Chanyeol tried to convince him that cream and sugar made it taste like heaven, and he was a surprisingly good cook despite the apparent differences between their kitchen cultures.

“Of course I'm good, Jongdae was shit at cooking so I had to somehow learn it.” 

Jongdae was the name of his.. friend. Best friend? Chanyeol wasn’t sure but the name kept popping in conversations and by the way Baekhyun talked about him, he was someone more than special for the alien although Chanyeol couldn’t figure out their exact relationship.

“Who knew that I'd be a master someday.” Baekhyun shrugged with the ghost of a smile on his lips, acting nonchalant and casual while praising himself. Chanyeol let out a boisterous laugh at the sight and the way Baekhyun was biting on his lip to keep himself from laughing too. The alien was especially chatty this morning, never failing to amuse him with his antics, which made him forget about time passing and soon enough, it was past noon before they could understand anything, lost in conversations and past stories on the couch. 

"So, what do you plan on doing about your ship?" Chanyeol asked after listening to a story about what sounded like a troublesome mission Baekhyun and Jongdae went on a long time ago.

Baekhyun's face became pensive again upon hearing the question, his eyebrows furrowing in the cutest way while he thought about what to do. Chanyeol guessed he must have pondered over the matter for the last week, wondering what he was about to do and what was the condition of his ship. What if he was stuck here forever?

"I'm not sure about that, the only important thing was the main control panel, yet I can't find out what caused the sudden blow up. I'm sure someone messed with it on purpose." Baekhyun’s eyes turned into the darkest blue Chanyeol ever saw, his jaw setting and lips pursing in contemplation. Living a life like Baekhyun’s must surely bring a lot of enemies. Seeing him so lost like that caused Chanyeol to feel bad for the alien once again, trying to find a way to help him but what could an ordinary human possibly do to help an alien with supernatural abilities?

"Do you have an idea who it could be?" Baekhyun's dark eyes hardened visibly for the fraction of a second and showcased a venomous amount of hatred before he looked at Chanyeol and explained slowly.

"That's not my main concern for now, I have to somehow repair my ship to get in contact with Jongdae first." Baekhyun passed his slender fingers over the faint blue mark over his face for a brief moment, azure waves dancing in his orbs momentarily before he closed them and sighed out. "I can't use telepathy no matter how much I try it." 

"You said you could use your.. powers when you were with me last time." Chanyeol tried. Baekhyun looked over his face intently, as if he was searching for a way, an answer, anything to lead him on. 

"I still don't know how I succeeded that night, I thought it was because of you since you have–" He sighed, as if changing his mind. "Since you seemed like the only difference, but there might be other contributing factors."

Chanyeol was lost once again, his mind going blank when he tried to find a possible solution to their problem. But Baekhyun was right, first things first he needed to fix his ship to go back or call for help.

"You're right, you should probably focus on fixing your ship if you can do that. Do you know a way to do it?"

"I can't do it alone since Jongdae did most of it." Baekhyun sighed again and muttered under his breath, probably mostly to himself. "I knew I should have paid more attention to it when he advised me to."

Chanyeol wanted to be helpful, but he was just an office worker, no way he could understand a thing about fixing a broken alien ship, not unless he was some kind of genius engineer he himself didn't know about yet. 

_ Oh. Speaking of genius engineers. _

"Oh my god! Kyungsoo!!"

With the way Chanyeol suddenly leaped out of his seat and screamed like he had a revelation, Baekhyun thought whoever he was talking about was actually there for a moment, watching around the living room with curious eyes.

Chanyeol realized he got a little too excited all of a sudden and sat back facing Baekhyun, taking both of his hands in his much larger ones and holding them tightly while he explained himself eagerly. "My best friend is an engineer. I doubt he ever came across a broken alien ship but he's a genius, I'm sure he could help you out!"

Seeing hope flickering in Baekhyun's eyes might have been the best thing happening all day, the soft sight warming Chanyeol's heart at once. "You think he'd do that?"

"Trust me, he'd do anything for me." Chanyeol didn't mean to brag but he and Kyungsoo were the bestest of friends, and their bond was the strongest out there. 

"Oh, okay." It was as if Baekhyun's voice lacked his previous hopefulness or Chanyeol's excitement making him unable to figure it out, making the latter curious as if he said something wrong or if Baekhyun was simply being anxious about the situation. 

Chanyeol wanted to assure Baekhyun and take the load off his mind even if it was for a short time. Kyungsoo would help, or at least be more useful than himself. "I guess we're like Jongdae and you, being inseparable and all."

The smile on Baekhyun's face wasn't bright at all as he averted his eyes from Chanyeol. 

"You must miss him a lot." Chanyeol thought aloud.

That caught Baekhyun's attention, causing him to look up again with one corner of his lips tugging up ever so slightly. "Who? Jongdae?"

"Yeah."

"I miss Milky more than I miss him, actually. Does that make me a bad  _ kanae _ ?" Chanyeol was getting confused once again. Didn’t they have a deep connection with Jongdae and even a weird name for it?

"Who's Milky?"

"My cat. She's been missing since we crashed." Chanyeol decided the sight of Baekhyun's warm smile disappearing into a sad pout was even worse than finding out he was out of coffee on a Sunday morning and that said a lot.

"Oh, so that’s what her name is. I really hope she's okay. And I think you're just worried about her a lot since she’s all alone now, so you're not a bad friend at all."

It was Baekhyun's turn to hold Chanyeol's hands in gratitude for his comforting words, and the latter could swear warmth was seeping through them going straight to his heart even though Baekhyun's blood was colder than his. "Thank you."

"Should I call Kyungsoo to see if he has time over the weekend?"

Baekhyun didn't say anything but his smile and the hopeful glint in his eyes were enough.

  
  


Chanyeol had no idea how he suddenly grew nervous when he was beaming happily a few moments ago, now waiting for Kyungsoo in his car with Baekhyun beside him. 

He told his friend he had an important thing to tell him over phone, and even though Kyungsoo was hard to convince, because "I swear to fucking god Park Chanyeol, if your emergency is related to cartoons again, I'm gonna break your kneecaps for real this time." 

He wanted to explain everything to Kyungsoo as soon as possible, but asking your friend for help to fix your new alien friend's spaceship might go wrong over the phone. Like  _ really _ wrong with Kyungsoo. 

It was for the best if Baekhyun was there as a living proof while he explained the situation, and Kyungsoo would surely understand everything after seeing the ship himself. Chanyeol could only hope he could be of any help to the alien. Even though Baekhyun was much more lively and chatty compared to the previous night, Chanyeol could still see the shadows in his eyes whenever his planet or his  _ kanae _ were mentioned.

After a few minutes of waiting, Kyungsoo came out of his apartment and got in the backseat, not before throwing Chanyeol a curious -and annoyed, if Chanyeol dared to add- glance, introducing himself with a curt “I’m Kyungsoo.” when his friend tried to make small talk between the tree of them. He definitely was not the most sociable best friend out there.

Baekhyun started giving directions once they left the asphalt and reached the dingy forest road, leading them to a small clearing right at the beginning of the forest, close to where Chanyeol nearly ran over him with his car that cursed night.

“Okay, is it around?” Chanyeol stopped the engine and looked into the distance where they definitely couldn’t go by car and tried to see a massive broken alien ship. He had no idea what he was looking for exactly but he still wasn’t doubting Baekhyun, trying to rehearse how to explain everything to Kyungsoo in his mind. His best friend would surely believe him once he saw the ship right?

“It’s a few minutes away into the forest, I could barely hide it since it’s damaged beyond my control.” Baekhyun announced and got out of the car. 

Chanyeol heard his best friend sighing out in his seat behind him and turned his head around, facing a blank Kyungsoo watching Baekhyun stretching his limbs in front of the car. He didn’t look that annoyed at least, that was a good thing. “Do I have to ask who he is? Or where did he bring us?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes not leaving the alien.

Pulling the handbrake and taking off his seat belt, Chanyeol angled his body so he was looking straight at his best friend while he tried to persuade him that he wasn’t wasting his time. “I’ll explain after showing you Soo, I know you’re not a fan of surprises but I think you might like this.”

Baekhyun was right, it wasn’t long before they were standing before a giant half wrecked ship, which Chanyeol was gawking at with a contemplating Kyungsoo beside him. It was the latter who broke the silence to the others’ surprise, his tone appreciative and impressed. “How did you manage to put it in that state and stay alive?” He was looking up and down at Baekhyun with a very curious gaze and added after a second thought. “I’m assuming it’s yours?”

Baekhyun threw Chanyeol a brief glance before grinning at Kyungsoo. “I have no idea what happened exactly.” He chuckled and pursed his lips, running his eyes over his ship, the grey of his tattoo buzzing to life. “I suddenly had a major system failure alert and totally lost control so I tried an emergency landing but failed as you can see.” He winced, pointing to the deeply scraped mass of metal, a whole side ruined from the impact.

“Did you find what caused it?” Kyungsoo asked, his eyebrows furrowing in the way they did when he was concentrating. “Doesn’t look like there was an explosion, are the engines intact?”

“Yes, I still can’t find any issues with the engines. I don’t know what went wrong but I couldn’t have access to the control panel at all, it looks like worms.”

“What do you mean worms?” 

“Someone managed to mess with it from afar, I know they did.” 

Kyungsoo stopped before talking again and watched as Baekhyun’s eyes became thunderous with the darkest shades of blues, swirling wildly and spreading to buzz through his now prominent tattoo.

Chanyeol waited for a reaction to the unmistakable light show on Baekhyun’s face but Kyungsoo seemed curious for different reasons. “Don’t you have ejection seats? Or I don’t know, other redundant systems? A way to escape in a case of emergency?”

“Well I didn’t exactly want to launch myself in the middle of space, plus I couldn’t leave my ship.” Baekhyun sighed, the whirls in his eyes lessening while he looped an arm around his middle thoughtlessly. “It's the only thing I have to communicate with home.”

Chanyeol felt a pang in his chest upon the sight. His mind tended to be overdramatic but Baekhyun looked too much like a little kitten searching for warmth and Chanyeol was ready to give it to him himself right now. The little loving scene in his head disappeared when Kyungsoo side-eyed Baekhyun with curiosity rather than disbelief, facing him properly before speaking in an indifferent tone. “I think this is the part where you tell me what you are exactly because I have no idea where you could be from.”

How could Kyungsoo be that nonchalant about it? Chanyeol was still freaking out whenever he thought about the aspect of meeting an alien and he was thinking about it constantly since he met Baekhyun.

“I’m from an exoplanet called Elixion.” Baekhyun tried gauging Kyungsoo’s reaction and his eyes visibly relaxed when the latter showed signs of recognition, prompting him to continue with a nod. “I guess you could just say that I’m an alien with a few enhanced abilities and I’m just trying to go back home.”

“And your ship is the only way to go back? How about other ways to communicate with your people?” Kyungsoo vaguely gestured toward Baekhyun’s face, probably pointing out his unique tattoo, which the alien stroked with the tip of a slender finger before answering in a tight tone.

“I lost my mana so I can’t use my powers.”

The statement was brief and simple but the impact was greater than long explanations and touching words, Baekhyun’s rigid posture and sharp exhale showcasing how much it was affecting him.

“But you still can use them at times, we just have to find how.” Chanyeol tried to lift up the palpable heaviness in the air, waiting until Baekhyun met his eyes to smile at him warmly.

“And how exactly do you know each other?” Kyungsoo finally asked.

After a messy explanation by Chanyeol who tried to make their situation somewhat reasonable and very unhelpful remarks on Baekhyun’s side, they managed to explain how exactly they met to a very silent Kyungsoo who just kept watching them. Chanyeol was so sure his best friend was judging him hard, but the unexplainable pull he felt toward the alien was so palpable to him that he simply couldn’t leave the other alone. He had to help Baekhyun, he knew it.

“I need to smoke.” Was Kyungsoo’s only reaction as he fumbled to find his pack in his pockets with a tired sigh. Luck didn’t seem to be on his side today because his tries at lighting up his cigarette were all futile, his lighter seemingly adamant on not working and leaving him as a gradually frustrated mess. His mumbled curse wasn’t that low in volume as he tried one last time and finally succeeded, watching the alien’s eyes buzzing fleetingly as their gazes met.

Baekhyun announced to no one in particular that he was going in the ship to check up on everything once again, leaving the duo alone out of the massive wreck, a fidgeting Chanyeol beside an unnervingly calm Kyungsoo puffing smoke through his lips from time to time.

“So-” Chanyeol shuffled his feet on the ground nervously, readying himself from a warning notice from his friend and maybe a few insults here and there, or as the worst case he could imagine, a disbelieving Kyungsoo combined with a long lecture about how he shouldn’t believe weird strangers claiming they were aliens. “Are you going to say something?” He asked, the stretching silence unnerving him.

“Gorgeous.” Kyungsoo sighed out, his eyes bored on the entrance of the ship where they could see Baekhyun fumbling with a broken handle in his hand, going toward where Chanyeol assumed must be the main flight deck.

The taller had to make a double check because–

_ “What?”  _

Kyungsoo threw his cigarette butt on the floor and crushed it with his foot, picking it up afterward like the responsible human he was and putting it in his pocket to discard it properly later while Chanyeol was left feeling a hundred different emotions at once because that surely wasn’t what he had in mind as a reaction. He got that his best friend had a point and that Baekhyun had a really peculiar beauty even in trashy clothes but that certainly shouldn’t have been what Kyungsoo had to comment about him as a first thought.

“I never saw anything like that Chanyeol, how many engines do you think it has?” Kyungsoo was staring up at the ship in awe, his words coming out as an amazed whisper like all of his dreams came true at once. “It must have a crazy fault tolerant design to not blow up even after losing control like he said, it’s amazing.”

“Wow you little nerd, you sound totally hypnotized.” Chanyeol snorted. “Are you sure the only thing that you find interesting is that wreck instead of his owner?” Chanyeol still couldn’t grasp the whole concept of his friend’s priorities. How could Kyungsoo not bat an eyelash at Baekhyun and the whole concept of all his powers or even just at the fact that he was literally an alien but gawk at his half destroyed spacecraft instead?

Kyungsoo still had the mind to whack him on the back of his head after all, still mumbling in amazement at every detail he caught and asking what sounded like complicated engineer questions to himself every now and then. When Baekhyun made no move to come out and join them any soon, Chanyeol nudged his dazed best friend on the side and took a step toward the open entrance. “You wanna ogle at that impressive piece of scrap metal from up close?”

Chanyeol had trouble processing the scene unfolding right before his eyes, wondering how he ended up witnessing his usually unsociable best friend nerding with Baekhyun about his ship in the main flight deck, both explaining things to each other about whatever boring stuff they knew about machines. It seemed like there weren’t major differences between their mechanical systems like Chanyeol initially thought so Kyungsoo might be of help to Baekhyun after all.

From what he heard before tuning the excited duo out because he was bored of not understanding them, Chanyeol learned that the alien duo built the ship from scrap together. The computing was all Jongdae but basically all the data was from Baekhyun and they had every possible info about countless planets like their main resources, their compatibility and rate of survival along with necessary facts to adapt to the environment.

Chanyeol was once again amazed by Baekhyun’s knowledge and abilities even though the alien kept insisting that it wasn’t a big deal.

“So you suddenly lost control? With all those reinforced systems?” Kyungsoo asked after a while, and the conversation finally shifting from propulsion systems to Baekhyun’s story caught Chanyeol’s attention so he sat upright and watched attentively as the alien shook his head and started explaining.

“I thought I encountered some minor trouble at first so I decided to land and put the trajectory on the navigation system for Earth since it seemed like the most habitable planet on my radar but then I got attacked halfway into it.” Baekhyun sighed, probably replaying the scene in his mind. “It was my fault to not pay enough attention, and they seemed prepared so they totally got me.” He leaned back against a panel full of handles and buttons which looked quite complicated and even dangerous in Chanyeol’s opinion.

“How did you get attacked exactly? You said something about worms earlier, but how did they even manage to get into your system in the first place?”

“I had a powerful impact which led to an opening and resulted in some damage to vital flight control panels such as thrusters and the communication system, and they also managed to get into the main system and crashed the ship while I was trying to deal with everything at once.” Baekhyun stopped and thought for a while, crossing his arms before continuing still in a pensive tone. “Even if it was worms, I should have had access to the manual control panel and the thrusters, but my control capabilities were limited completely and I was left trying to clear the blockage without the help of the computers while being unable to ask for help or communicate with anyone. It must have been planned for quite a while if you think how fast they gained control.”

“And the decompression?” Kyungsoo asked, his eyebrows raised in wonder. “It must have been on an explosive level, how did you manage to deal with it while trying not to crush at the same time?”

“Great structure.” Baekhyun simply said, a proud smile creeping up his face. Chanyeol already knew who’s name was about to pop up after that smile. “Jongdae made sure to part every compartment with reinforced panels so any possible damage due to an attack won’t sever the whole ship. Same goes with the heat shield all around the craft which allows it to withstand the conditions of atmospheric re-entry from interplanetary velocities.”

“That’s really impressive.” Kyungsoo commented.  _ And you really live a life full of attacks and enemies _ , Chanyeol thought. Baekhyun didn’t sound particularly sad or happy telling him about his life, only adoration framing his words whenever he talked about his  _ kanae _ . Fighting and opponents seemed to be common things for him, besides hard quests and long journeys from what little part Chanyeol learned. Baekhyun seemed like an amazing man living a life that should treat him better in Chanyeol’s opinion.

“Yeah, but I still messed everything up.” Baekhyun’s face dropped, and he sounded awfully regretful. Was he feeling guilty? On top of the sorrow of losing his powers and being stuck in a foreign planet? Why was he so hard on himself? Chanyeol wanted to comfort him so bad, but how exactly? “The artificial intelligence doesn’t work and neither does the main communication box and I need to deal with it by myself but I can’t even find out what’s the main problem.” Baekhyun sighed again, scraping the floor with his foot in irritation.

“I’m not sure about the artificial intelligence since I kinda suck at computer science, but I can try to help you with the rest if you want.” Kyungsoo didn’t seem to be aware of Baekhyun’s hopeful look, listing whatever facts he already thought about loud. “I think checking the engines and thrusters should come first and from what you told me, I can take a look at the pressure equalisation system too. Maybe it’s just a damaged valve.”

“I think I can find my way around the computing since all the data is still intact, but yes, I’d really appreciate technical help.” Baekhyun's eyes shone with a hopeful glint, which eased Chanyeol’s tense shoulders for a bit.

“That’s settled then. Let’s take a general look around the ship for more ideas right now, and we can start dealing with everything bit by bit tomorrow.” Kyungsoo stood up, making his way toward the little door while taking in his surroundings. He was out before anyone could even answer him,  _ typical Soo _ . Baekhyun took a silent step until he was beside Chanyeol, patting his shoulder once in gratefulness before going out after Kyungsoo.

The next week passed with Baekhyun and Kyungsoo meeting every single day and meticulously working on fixing the ship while Chanyeol had to go and work, joining them at home where Kyungsoo usually dropped by in the evenings to help Baekhyun who was dealing with whatever parts of the ship they could bring home and discuss about it. Chanyeol was happy that they got along pretty well, even if Kyungsoo took a liking to teasing him especially when Baekhyun was around.

In his spare time, usually after he was too tired from brainstorming all day, Baekhyun took a liking to watching drama reruns, and Chanyeol didn’t have the heart to argue with him about how they were too sappy and that cartoons were definitely better. They were also sleeping together on Chanyeol’s bed after Baekhyun admitted that he couldn’t sleep alone after two nights sleeping apart, and Chanyeol kept telling himself that he only agreed because the alien was a great source of coolness on summer nights and definitely not because he felt like he fit right in his arms. Chanyeol’s only condition was that they both had to at least keep their pants on while sleeping because he couldn’t be sure how he could deal with an unclothed Baekhyun in his arms. That probably wouldn’t be healthy for his poor heart. The alien was already flustering him enough with wearing his clothes which were at least a few sizes large on him, refusing Chanyeol’s offers to buy him his own clothes and claiming that what he was wearing was comfortable and that Chanyeol didn’t need to bother buying stuff for him.

Chanyeol also learned that Baekhyun didn’t know how to just rest even when it was obvious that he needed it. From little coffee breaks while working to stop working and going to sleep early after a long day, everything was foreign for the alien. He was only thinking about focusing on a task and keeping his mind busy with it at all times. “I’m used to having missions and following orders, so doing nothing feels strange.” He simply explained one night while they were eating ice cream, shivering bodily with every mouthful, which broke Chanyeol’s heart a little. Baekhyun deserved so much better, but all he knew was to work and train, which he currently couldn’t even do without his powers. 

Chanyeol saw how much it affected him, how Baekhyun tried and forced himself at times, blue storms brewing in his eyes until he nearly collapsed from exertion. He saw how much he blamed himself for getting attacked even though it didn’t make sense to him. Baekhyun was amazing, dealing perfectly with such a planned attack and managing to stay alive, working hard day and night and going through all the data on his ship’s system to fix the computing errors and even helping Kyungsoo with the mechanical complications they came across. Chanyeol wanted him to stop being so hard on himself and get some rest but the only thing he managed so far was to take his mind off things by scheduling themselves movie nights and take out food because he couldn’t do anything more while working during the days. He also asked Kyungsoo to make sure that Baekhyun wasn’t overworking himself when they were working by the ship, to which his friend laughed heartily right at his face before agreeing.

On Friday night, Kyungsoo was at Chanyeol’s house again, revising some technical arrangements on his computer with Baekhyun giving him advice by his side from time to time while Chanyeol watched them with enviousness evident in his eyes. His friend threw him amused glances whenever Baekhyun became too snuggly and rested his head on his shoulder while looking at the screen and Chanyeol acted like a kicked puppy.

“Wow, Jongdae must be amazing for coming up with those ideas.” Kyungsoo hummed, a teasing glint in his eyes as he eyed the way Chanyeol perked up upon hearing the name. The reaction was instantaneous on Baekhyun’s side, Chanyeol saw how his eyes shone as he lowered the volume of his cheesy drama running in the background, ignoring the main character praising his love interest for how pretty she looked and agreeing with Kyungsoo wholeheartedly. “He is right? He comes up with all the genius ideas and designs and develops everything by himself. He built every one of our spacecrafts since we were younger and they were the best anyone ever saw.” His eyes sparkled with the richest blues which were reserved for Jongdae, smiling to himself and curling his body against Kyungsoo’s side as if he was unconsciously searching for a source of warmth. “I’m so blessed to have him as my  _ kanae _ .”

Chanyeol didn’t know how the gnawing sensation found its way to his gut suddenly but in his haste to busy himself and get rid of it, he leaned it to snatch the remote from Baekhyun’s side and switched to a cartoons channel. He knew he was being childish but he couldn’t find a better way to stop his thoughts at the moment. Baekhyun wasn’t late to protest the sudden change, sitting upright and glaring at him, the subtle pout on his lips turning his whole aura to a cute one. “Hey, tonight was my turn on the tv!”

“You weren’t even watching it and I’m bored doing nothing.” Chanyeol defended himself, hiding the remote behind his back and away from the alien’s sight.

“I was listening to follow the plot, and it’s not like you don’t even glance away from your cartoons while watching.” Chanyeol heard Kyungsoo snorting on the side but didn’t pay him any mind, his eyes fixed on the way Baekhyun was pushing his lower lip out visibly. There was no way he wouldn’t give in at the sight, and the alien figured out his weakness by now.

But Kyungsoo got in his way and patted Baekhyun’s thigh while smirking at a faltering Chanyeol. “We could watch it later on my laptop. I’ll even let you know Yeol’s laptop’s password so you can watch your dramas whenever you feel like it.”

Later in the night when Kyungsoo started yawning so much that he couldn’t speak properly with Baekhyun, Chanyeol offered him to stay over which he declined after thinking about it for a few seconds. “Nah I don’t wanna bother Baekhyun, he must already be uncomfortable on the couch and there's no way we can both fit.”

Before Chanyeol could change the subject or do anything else to avoid getting caught and teased forever, Baekhyun jumped in and answered distractedly, eyes glued on the tv despite his claims about not liking cartoons. “Don’t worry you won’t bother at all. I’m sleeping with Chanyeol anyway.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes glinted with mischief as he answered. “Is that so? Well then I guess I can sleep on the couch, if I won’t be interrupting anything.” Chanyeol choked on nothing but Baekhyun didn’t seem to sense the teasing in his words and assured him that they weren’t watching tv late at night, insisting once again that he should just sleep there since the living room was empty anyway.

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol went to the latter’s room to prepare the beddings which consisted of a pillow and a thin blanket, which honestly didn’t need any assistance so that meant Kyungsoo probably had something to tell Chanyeol in private and Chanyeol wasn’t looking forward to it that much.

“You're hopeless.” Kyungsoo sighed out, busying himself with finding a new pillowcase and throwing Chanyeol a side glance. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah sure, I forgot you just sleep with anyone you meet.” Chanyeol gasped and looked at his friend in horror before taking in his light expression and relaxing. He didn’t know why but Kyungsoo’s thoughts mattered a lot especially when it came to Baekhyun. The weird familiarity and palpable pull he felt toward the alien were getting confusing at times so Chanyeol wanted to rely on his friend for keeping him in check in case of- what exactly? Chanyeol wasn’t sure why he was that uncertain, what could probably happen? It wasn’t like he doubted Baekhyun’s reliability, it was far from it and Chanyeol was feeling like Baekhyun was someone he could associate himself with, like someone he knew all along and the feeling was a little intense for Chanyeol’s pace.

“He’s not just anyone.” Chanyeol opted to say for now. He’d explain himself to his best friend when he himself could find out what was surging him on and holding him back at the same time. “Besides,” He added, nudging Kyungsoo on his side. “You can’t deny that it feels nice to be beside him with the way he feels like a living aircon, I see you snuggling with him Soo, you don’t do that with anyone besides me.”

“Yeah and I can see how you act like a kicked puppy whenever it happens.” Kyungsoo snorted before leaving him and going to the bathroom to get ready to sleep.

As Baekhyun and Kyungsoo started to make progress on the ship and fixed most of the visible damage, they started going less to the forest and bringing home necessary parts to work on, turning Chanyeol’s cramped living room into a repair shop slash mini office to work in. Chanyeol was used to hearing them in the background when he was resting after long working hours, his little apartment becoming something livelier and stopping to give him the urge to escape it every weekend.

Baekhyun turned out to be better at using his computer than him, being used to more evolved technology after all, and Chanyeol usually found him coding and doing complex looking stuff while trying to fix his precious box which he only knew was related to the communicating system on his ship. It was his main problem from the start, keeping him from getting in touch with his  _ kanae _ which he missed dearly. It wasn’t a secret that Baekhyun adored Jongdae, the alien was open about his emotions although he didn’t seem to have many from what he was expressing. He was a simple man behind his intelligence and intricate abilities which made him look rather unattainable.

They were now lazing around Chanyeol’s kitchen, with the taller watering his flowers which magically decided to sprout after being dead for a long time. Baekhyun was once again telling him about memorable stories he had with Jongdae and their numerous missions. That always raised his mood so Chanyeol made sure to ask him about funny stories or whatever thing he wanted to talk about everyday. 

Baekhyun had just finished telling him about a dangerous quest they went on with Jongdae and nearly got into a trap that would lead them to a painful death, casually explaining how they defeated their enemies and returned back to their planet. Chanyeol could never be sure if Baekhyun was simply being humble with his abilities or if he was just not caring about it, only focusing on his so-called flaws and what he could do better the next time.

“Do you ever go on missions that don’t involve violence?” He asked.

“Of course.” Baekhyun chuckled, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes. “Do you think I have the motivation to kill every enemy myself? That would be too much work.” He went around the table and took out his favorite cup from the cupboard, looking around for some coffee.

“So what do you do instead?” Chanyeol stood up to check the upper shelf where he usually stocked his extra coffee and frowned when he found it empty. He had been postponing a much needed grocery shopping, too lazy to go with the scorching heat outside and he certainly didn’t wanna go right now. Baekhyun turned out to be a total homebody so it was almost impossible to convince him to go out.

Chanyeol didn’t get an answer right away but Baekhyun started getting too close to him which made him take several steps backward reflexively, feeling the cool door of his fridge plastered to his back at the end. 

The situation weirdly reminded him of their first encounter, that first night where Baekhyun appeared in front of him from nowhere and just managed to fit himself in his life after a few days together. Chanyeol found himself frozen and just watching as Baekhyun’s eyes shifted to a vibrant blue, the alien crowding him against where he was leaning, caging him in with a hand beside his head and standing on the tip of his toes to match his height with his enchanting eyes. 

Chanyeol could barely suppress a shiver when the cool point of Baekhyun’s slender finger came to move his hair out of his eyes, fixing a few strands or his messy bangs while looking at him from under his lashes. “It looks like we're out of coffee.” Baekhyun pouted, and Chanyeol had no idea what he was talking about, only focused on the way his lips pursed around his question and barely keeping a shudder in when the other came even closer while replacing his hand beside Chanyeol's head by his forearm. “Do you mind getting out and buying some?” Baekhyun barely muttered against his face and Chanyeol couldn’t even process the question that felt so out of place right now. 

He could feel a powerful thread coming out of Baekhyun’s eyes and binding all of his reasoning, rendering him a thoughtless lump against his fridge. The alien cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows in questioning and Chanyeol had a hard time to put the gears in his mind to work with the loud booming of his heart filling his senses. He nodded dumbly just for the sake of giving a reaction, a sense of pride surging in his gut as he watched a satisfied expression settling on Baekhyun's features. 

“Perfect then.” Baekhyun beamed brightly and stepped back after patting Chanyeol's cheek once, the invisible pull disappearing along the blues of his eyes fading to a rich brown. Chanyeol blinked a few times to process what the hell exactly happened.

“W-what- was that some sort of hypnotic ability that you have?”

Baekhyun’s high laugh resonated around the kitchen before he answered with a grin stretched on his lips. “It flatters me that you felt compelled but that was just my charm, I guess?” He turned around to go to the living room, adding after a step. “And an answer to your previous question, I feel like this is an easier way to complete some tasks.” He giggled and disappeared into the living room.

Chanyeol heard him plopping down on the couch and turning on the tv, watching his surroundings while still feeling disoriented. He heard the amusement laced in the alien’s voice as he called out to him. “Come on, don’t make me wait too much for the coffee.”

Going out and clearing his mind seemed like a good idea.

Baekhyun, as if it was possible, became even more touchy and blunt with words that would fluster Chanyeol in no time.

It wasn’t helping with the fact that Chanyeol had a big fat crush on him that he was insisting on denying, but his strong character mixed with a playful attitude was hard not to fall for.

He was also weirdly intrigued with the concept of romantic love he was seeing so much in the dramas he watched, explaining to Chanyeol that something like that didn’t really exist back in Elyxion.

“It doesn’t have to exist.” Chanyeol shrugged. “You just have to feel it.”

“Is there someone you love then?” Baekhyun asked, hugging his knees and snuggling into Chanyeol’s side on the couch. They found a pack of unopened tea and decided to try it while watching one of Baekhyun’s dramas, and Baekhyun soon announced that it was now his favorite drink instead of coffee.

Chanyeol’s eyes widened at the unexpected question, and seeing Baekhyun’s curious expression wasn’t helping at all. “I- uh..” He cleared his throat and avoided Baekhyun's bright eyes. “I love my family, obviously. And also Kyungsoo..uh, as a friend, of course, and uhm, yeah I guess that’s about it.” He was mumbling at the end of his sentence, trying to ignore the flush creeping up his neck.

Baekhyun was silent for a few moments, taking in and thinking about what he said with pursed lips and the slightest crease appearing between his eyebrows.

“So you don’t have someone you love romantically.” He hummed. Chanyeol couldn’t be sure if that was a question or a statement and decided not to comment any further.

“I think I’ve only loved Jongdae until today.” Baekhyun stated out of nowhere, and Chanyeol was suddenly feeling like someone was squeezing his breath away from him.

Chanyeol was still confused about Jongdae. Baekhyun explained that they were sharing a special link that was tying their cores, which made them able to use each other's mana and also have telepathic abilities. He also said that being someone's  _ kanae _ didn’t mean being his significant other but that there were a fair amount of couples that were  _ kanaes _ at the same time. 

And he was also always full of praises for Jongdae that Chanyeol's couldn’t make out what their relationship was exactly like.

He felt Baekhyun shivering beside him and turned his head to look. “Ugh.” Baekhyun grimaced. “I don’t think I  _ love _ love him, you know?”

“How do you know that?” Chanyeol asked, amused at the alien’s terrorized face.

“Imagining us as those drama characters was definitely not something I needed to experience.” Baekhyun said, and it took Chanyeol a beat too long to realize that the characters were kissing on the screen.

Chanyeol threw his head back and let out a loud, humorous laugh, his whole body shaking from the force as he heard Baekhyun groaning beside him, also breaking into laughter after it.

Only when Chanyeol could properly breathe again did he open his eyes again, startled to feel Baekhyun’s finger poking into his cheek and turned to see his glimmering gaze on his face.

“I like this.” Baekhyun prodded around his dimple and grinned, looking at Chanyeol with his eyes full of adoration. “It makes you pretty.” He continued and Chanyeol spluttered like an idiot.

Baekhyun took it as disbelief and got a determined glint in his eyes. “I’m serious, you’re pretty when you smile.”

Chanyeol said nothing and prayed that the flush on his cheeks wasn’t as visible as it felt.

As days turned into weeks, Chanyeol got some time by himself to figure out part of his thoughts and process some facts he was blindly pondering about ever since he met Baekhyun. First of all and objectively thinking, Baekhyun made a perfect human even though Chanyeol hadn't seen him in any other aspect yet, so his infatuation wasn't meaningless or futile. Something about the way Baekhyun was the perfect balance between strong willed and firm but also gentle and caring at once was simply alluring and overall fascinating. 

Chanyeol was glad to catch glimpses of his playfulness and overall chaotic energy besides his clever comments and wittiness whenever he wasn't drowning in his own work or trying to find a solution to his problems. Baekhyun was definitely a man of few words when he was concentrated so he might probably seem as arrogant from his way of talking to strangers but Chanyeol could only see how selfless and humble he was in the way he put his cherished ones before himself and praised them genuinely while putting his own achievements in the background. 

In another -and mostly biased- opinion, Baekhyun was beautiful, inside and out. Chanyeol felt a comforting warmth settling deep in his gut and pulsing through his whole body whenever he saw the alien or even merely thought about him, which happened pretty often. From the soft yet defined angles of his face and delicate curve of his lips to his little unconscious gestures like catching his bottom lip between his teeth while thinking or tapping his chin in wonder whenever he tried to visualize something in his mind, every single detail about him was beautiful. 

Chanyeol found himself slipping from the initial stage of admiring the alien to falling a little deeper and finding himself being romantically infatuated by him, or in his more simple words, crushing on him over time. The realization didn't dawn on him like a revelation, it was rather in the way Chanyeol started anticipated going back home after a long day of work for a whole new reason, the way he liked to stay in and enjoy himself instead of feeling trapped or the way his whole chest tingled whenever he caught a glimpse of Baekhyun's lovely smile. 

Baekhyun had a lot of smiles, little curves of his lips whenever he recalled some of his memories or amused grins when he was in a bright mood, but Chanyeol's personal favorite was the way the corner of his lips turned slightly down when he got delighted and tried to keep his smile to himself until he couldn't along the fond sound that accompanied it, the little half laugh that lingered way after the moment of his initial amusement. Those were the times where he smiled at Chanyeol rather than smiling along with him, which made them much more unique and meaningful to the enamored human.

Aside from the colorful rainbow of emotions Chanyeol found himself getting lost in, endless rains and dampening storms broke the sweet spell at times. Times where Chanyeol could see past the sparkly bubble he floated on and rationalize and think about what was exactly happening in their lives.

Chanyeol knew that all this commotion and subtly settling new routine in his life was temporary and that he was hypothetically only trying to help Baekhyun to get back to his own planet, but he couldn't help himself and, maybe selfishly or maybe dumbly, turn a blind eye to the truth to just live in the moment. 

He was aware that no matter how much Baekhyun adapted to live on earth and enjoyed their times together, the alien was lonely. The feeling was looking heavy on his delicate features, peeking through the mask he usually put on and tormenting Chanyeol greatly. He wanted nothing but Baekhyun to be happy, and as much as Chanyeol wanted to delude himself and think about a future together, Baekhyun deserved a genuine smile plastered on his face at all times, and that wasn't possible under the conditions they were under.

_ Baekhyun _ .

That name again, lost in between hundreds of files and machines in the bland room filled with cold greys and whites. The bright white lights were always harsh and cold to the little boy who only yearned for the soft hues of yellow and the warm honey shades. He didn’t bother to call out for the only companion he wished by his side, knowing by now that his cries were useless and always ended up falling on deaf ears. 

_ “...keep the pressure…” _

Not a single second went without a commotion around the wide restorative room, plenty of devices running at the same time piling on top of the agitated atmosphere, the combination disturbing the feeble little boy who only tried to hang on a little more, pale and shivery on the spacious bed, tied to too many cables that seemed to suffocate his little quivering form. 

_ “...still resisting, we can’t…” _

Everything was burning, from deep in his core to the back of his eyes, cold sweat layering on his ghostly complexion and burning his skin. He barely heard the bustle around him or made out coherent words but it was too loud. Everything was too much at once, especially the scalding lights and his crumbling body, melting him and tearing him apart from the inside. 

_ “...orders… hold him back from… need to stay intact…” _

His screams were pitifully weak yet they didn’t fail to convey his agonizing pain, but still, no one was easing the pain, nothing made it more bearable. With a burning throat and tear streaked face, his expression closed in a grimace, flashes of the irritating whites and buzzes of people around him fading to nothing as he lost consciousness once again. 

_ Baekhyun. _

Something persistent and warm tried to call him back to consciousness, urging his sealed mind to come back and wake up again, and for once it didn’t feel like the pain was ready to get to him again, the clawing feeling arising from his burning core absent. 

_ Baekhyun. _

It felt so right yet so wrong at once, his core wasn’t giving him pain but it still didn’t feel right and something tried to block it, to keep him from using it properly. He felt the buzz of energy under his skin, the comforting presence of his mana still settled in him, but he couldn’t reach out to it nor feel it humming under his skin like it was supposed to be.

_ Baekhyun. _

He needed to stop it. To end what was causing it. He needed his mana.

“Baekhy-” Chanyeol’s voice got stuck in his throat as the alien leaped on him and pressed him into the mattress in one swift movement, a strong pair of thighs restricting his lower limbs while a firm forearm pressed against his throat painfully. He flailed uselessly in his haste to free himself and barely coughed the air stuck in his lungs as he watched the striking blue eyes watching him with an icy glare. 

Baekhyun’s eyes buzzed unevenly with a shade that screamed danger while he breathed harshly through his nose and kept watching Chanyeol with that calculating and menacing glare. His whole demeanour was murderous and it was freaking out the disoriented human. What the hell was exactly happening? Was that the way he was going to die? 

The pressure on his airway was more than uncomfortable so after mustering up the courage to act against a seething alien, Chanyeol tapped the forearm pressing him down continuously while paying extra attention to be gentle and trying to show him that he meant no harm. Baekhyun’s skin was soaked in sweat under his touch, little cold beads rolling down the sides of his face and disappearing down his neck.

“It’s- it’s me, Chanyeol.” Chanyeol wheezed out when recognition flickered in Baekhyun’s eyes and he finally leaned back, so Chanyeol could finally hold his burning throat instinctively to protect himself. He scooted backwards on the bed when his legs were also freed, putting a fair distance between himself and Baekhyun while still gauging his reaction. The alien looked more like himself with his eyes back to brown and his tattoo faded to its usual silver shadow, still visibly disoriented and shivering with a sheen of sweat shining over his whole body. “You-” Chanyeol gulped and tried to ease the uncomfortable sensation lingering in his throat, clearing his voice before continuing. “You had a nightmare, I- you looked disturbed so I wanted to wake you up, I’m..I’m sorry.”

Baekhyun stood still for a while, not reacting in any way, then Chanyeol saw the exact moment realization dawned on him, his features curling and expression shifting until guilt settled on his face and he stammered with a shaken voice. “I’m so- oh fuck Yeol, I’m so sorry I just thought- I felt like..”

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol muttered. “You’re okay.”

“Are you okay? Your throat..” Baekhyun pointed toward his reddened throat and Chanyeol cursed under his breath after reflexively tensing upon seeing the movement. He really didn’t want Baekhyun to get the wrong idea but he was very much choked until a few moments ago and instinctively tried to cower away without even realizing it.

“I’m okay,” He winced, voice feeling too forced even to his own ears. “Sorry I just- I can’t think properly right now but I’m really okay. I shouldn’t have woken you up like that, it’s my fault.”

“No. I shouldn’t have reacted like that, you don’t have to apologize.” Baekhyun was fiddling with his fingers impatiently, like he wanted to reach out to him and Chanyeol craved the touch but his mind was still recovering from his shock, trying to keep him away from anything besides himself.

“You were having a nightmare Baekhyun, it was normal that you were feeling lost right after waking up.” Chanyeol insisted. 

Baekhyun sounded in pain while grumbling in his sleep, his breathing in disarray and sweat pouring out his body, the nightmare must have shaken him up a lot and Chanyeol didn’t want to add the guilt on top of all of those.

“It’s not normal, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun's hands closed into tight fists in his lap. “I- I was about to attack you. I reached for my mana and panicked when I couldn’t, but what if I was successful? What if I harmed you for real? What if–”

“You wouldn’t have Baekhyun.” Chanyeol interrupted his chain of thoughts with a stern voice. “We both know you wouldn’t, right? I know you’re not one to act recklessly, it’s just that you were a little shaken up so you panicked, nothing else. Now please stop panicking and blaming yourself.”

Baekhyun stood silent and only watched him as Chanyeol rubbed a comforting hand up and down his folded knee, sighing a long breath out before agreeing. “Okay.” He didn’t sound like he was telling the truth at all but Chanyeol didn’t want to push him further.

“Okay, now I’m gonna go back to sleep. Do you feel like sleeping back or do you want to clear your head for a while? We can also talk about it if you want.” Chanyeol doubted the last option would actually happen with Baekhyun’s nature of keeping things to himself.

“It’s okay.” Baekhyun muttered, already taking his place on his side of the bed and facing away from Chanyeol. “Let’s just sleep.”

Chanyeol suddenly didn’t know what to do or how to act until Baekhyun scooted back and settled against his front like usual, breaking the tense atmosphere and letting Chanyeol’s jumbled thoughts shut down wordlessly. It wasn’t long before Chanyeol fell back asleep and held Baekhyun in his arms in his sleep like he did most of the time.

The sun was slowly settling down the horizon, painting the buildings in the softest shades of golden oranges and tints of pinks around the dispersed clouds. Chanyeol's gaze lingered on Baekhyun's skin glowing like a summer dream under the lights before he made his presence known in his little balcony, stepping beside Baekhyun and watching the stars starting to sparkle faintly through the light show before their eyes. 

Watching the stars was the alien's most favorite thing to do, which Chanyeol could understand better than anything else. He asked around the first week of Baekhyun's appearance, if there was a specific reason he liked to watch the stars that much.  _ I'm waiting for someone _ , was the only answer he got back before Baekhyun turned his wistful eyes back up to the sky along with a heavy silence following. 

It didn't really hurt at that time, but as time passed and Chanyeol found himself getting used to Baekhyun a little too much, the words came back like a reminder every night as Baekhyun watched the darkness stretching upon them. Baekhyun was waiting for someone to save him from here. From this planet. From the sudden defenseless state he found himself in. Maybe even from Chanyeol.

Chanyeol cleared his throat and willed the cloudy thoughts away, shifting his weight on his side and leaning his shoulder into Baekhyun's, watching as his rich eyes traveled up and found his own with raised eyebrows.

"Do you want to go and watch the stars from a better place?" Chanyeol locked his eyes on the horizon and the deepening colors after throwing a stare at the few stars scattered in the sky. "The sky looks pretty clear and my balcony doesn't make it justice."

Baekhyun had been silent and idle for the better part of the day after his nightmare last night, not even working on his computer as he had been doing religiously everyday, lost in his thoughts with the most devastating expression Chanyeol ever saw on his face. Stargazing was the only thing Chanyeol could come up with, as Baekhyun liked to be reminded of things that reminded him of his home and his  _ kanae _ .

Chanyeol saw Baekhyun's wordless little nod from his peripheral vision and didn't have to turn his head to see the bittersweet smile hanging off his lips.

Countless stars were blanketing the night sky above the small clearing in the forest, giving the perfect opportunity to stargaze and watch the rich celestial glory littering the sky and get lost in between the shimmering lights.

Chanyeol felt an uncomfortable weight lift off his chest as Baekhyun lied down on his back and huffed a small contented sight, lowering himself beside him after a few moments of taking in his appearance under the gentle moonlight. It felt like a dream that Chanyeol wanted to get locked in, to freeze time and stay there together with Baekhyun forever, but still, the part in him that wanted to see Baekhyun happy above anything else felt like it wouldn't feel enough for Baekhyun, so Chanyeol stopped himself from hoping more and turned his head, his gaze landing on the lights casting upon Baekhyun's soft skin, shining on his tattoo and making it look alive. 

It was a comforting sight to watch, as the alien's mark on his face had a rhythm on its own and buzzed or pulsed on a steady beat most of the time, and if Chanyeol had to be sappy about it, he'd dare to say that it matched his own pulse whenever it got disrupted and an almost erratic buzz took the place of the soft pace. It felt like it matched with Chanyeol's spiking heartbeat, accompanying the energy buzzing through his body.

When Chanyeol managed to finally peel his gaze off Baekhyun's features, he stared up to look for basic constellations he knew about. Being an astronomy nerd during his teenage years made him used to stargaze a lot under the clear skies of the countryside, so finding his way around stars made Chanyeol feel nostalgic and a little excited all over again, the thrill of remembering and getting back into what he used to love and spend all his time bursting through him and urging him to gush about it to Baekhyun who happily contributed to his memories with his seemingly endless knowledge about the universe.

"Do you have a favorite star?" Chanyeol turned sideways and propped his head on his hand to stare down at Baekyun's sparkling eyes, the reflection of the infinite amount of shimmering lights radiating in the most mesmerizing way. This was definitely his most favorite sight after the radiating blues buzzing through the alien's clear orbs.

Baekhyun's lower lip puckered forward and Chanyeol's eyes naturally followed the movement, drawn to the little habit of the alien pushing his soft looking lips out while thinking, often accompanied by a faint humming sound and a tilted head. 

"I don't really have one." Baekhyun’s eyes glided over the hazy band of shimmering stars that stretched across the sky. "They're not that impressive from up close, so I guess I stopped admiring them at some point."

A faint breeze came to catch Baekhyun's hair, messing his dark locks and making him even more beautiful in Chanyeol's eyes. The dazed man didn't even remember raising his hand until he found himself running his fingers through soft bangs, pushing them back to bring Baekhyun's soft forehead in view. Baekhyun looked up at him and opened his mouth wordlessly, as if he wasn't sure about what he was about to say, pondering for a moment before looking in Chanyeol's eyes. "But.. watching them with you feels nice."

Chanyeol's heart picked up in his ribcage, the warm breeze doing nothing to ease the heat creeping up his neck. They were barely touching, but Chanyeol could swear he was feeling a comforting energy oozing out of Baekhyun and reaching him to calm him down.

An easy silence settled between them, where Baekhyun kept looking up in the sky and Chanyeol lied back down with his face still turned to the alien, watching him gazing up at the stars and wondering if he was seeing something more than him. Baekhyun's expression shifted to a longing one as if he was seeing beyond the vast darkness and littered stars, reaching the endless universe. He probably was, Chanyeol thought, that's where he was coming from after all.

Fearing disturbing the alien and bringing his mood down but still curious about the reason for the soft crease between his eyebrows, Chanyeol kept his voice barely above a whisper before asking carefully. "What are you thinking about?"

"Home." Baekhyun's answer was short but the impact was stronger than a punch right to Chanyeol's gut, leaving him breathless for a few solid seconds. He ripped his eyes off Baekhyun's face to stare up at the sky instead, trying to press down the unsettling feeling spreading through his veins. Thoughts rushed through his mind, bitter feelings springing wetness pooling in his eyes. He would never be enough for Baekhyun, not enough to make him happy, not enough to distract him from his deep longing he felt towards his home. Chanyeol kept getting so lost in his own feelings that he was constantly forgetting about Baekhyun's, about his only wish to go back.

Baekhyun turned his head sideways to stare at him and it took Chanyeol a great amount of effort to keep his composure and not let the turmoil in his head show on his face. He locked his eyes with Baekhyun's and tried to focus on the way they seemed even more droopy now that they were laying down, his gaze sliding down to trace the soft slope of his nose and the little pointy bow of his lips. Baekhyun was so beautiful, even when he was crushing Chanyeol's heart without even being aware of it.

"You know." Baekhyun started, pausing for a while and taking a slow breath to probably choose his next words like he used to do, his gaze not leaving Chanyeol's eyes for a second. "I actually never felt at home back at my planet."

Chanyeol's eyebrows shot up in wonder yet he remained silent, not wanting to interrupt Baekhyun. He turned his whole body towards the alien and once again propped his head on a hand, waiting for him to continue. Baekhyun always talked about how much he missed "home", so hearing the statement wasn't really something Chanyeol had been expecting.

"I always existed for a purpose and was even created for it, so there was never anything else that mattered to me beside my duties." Baekhyun’s gaze turned deeper if possible, the rich brown of his eyes seeming endless as if he was looking past Chanyeol's face. "I was always told what to do. To fight, to train, to put order around and even how to feel. I never felt like I belonged anywhere, not even to myself."

The little pang in Chanyeol's heart grew to a giant blow because Baekhyun didn't even seem sad at the explanation, as if his words weren't devastating to him as much as they were to Chanyeol. Baekhyun deserved to be raised in a sweet family that would give him all the love he deserved throughout his life yet instead he was brought up like a complete soldier, trained to obey orders and Chanyeol couldn't be more heartbroken by the unfairness of it.

"But between all of those, Jongdae somehow taught me that home could be someone instead of somewhere." Baekhyun's smile was illuminated by the countless stars shining upon them, yet it wasn't bright at all. Chanyeol didn't think he was strong enough to face it when Baekhyun's sorrow felt so palpable through his gaze and dripped down from the upturned corners of his lips. 

Baekhyun continued and Chanyeol's lashes became gradually wetter with every word, his gaze blurring and showing him a shaky Baekhyun by his side, but he still refused to cry. This was Baekhyun's story and Chanyeol would listen to it without making it about himself in any way. "So when we were separated unexpectedly and I ended up here," Baekhyun paused to sigh, and Chanyeol saw how his chest seemed to tremble during his whole exhale. "I feared to be lost forever. To end up alone for the rest of my life, I- I was terrified even merely thinking about a life without my home."

Chanyeol managed to keep his sob in, but his tears trailed down his face in quick drops as he felt a hole being digged in his chest. He screwed his eyes shut and let the pain and confusing frustration out with every tear that rolled down his chin and got lost in between them, feeling his whole being aching and wailing for Baekhyun's agonizing pain. He felt Baekhyun's delicate touch on his face, his soft fingertips chasing every tear and drying his eyes with the comforting cool press of his soft skin. When he opened his eyes and tried to take a deep breath after feeling a relieving rush of emotions, he found Baekhyun's warm gaze on him with his tattoo starting to come to life in the faintest shades of soothing blues.

Poking his finger right where Chanyeol's dimple would settle whenever he smiled, Baekhyun continued in a hushed tone like he was trying not to startle him with his voice. "However I realized that I stopped thinking like that a while ago." 

Chanyeol was lost. He was still so sad thinking about a lost and lonely Baekhyun that he couldn't figure out how the other could even get over it that quickly. Baekhyun's hand cupping his cheek almost felt warm, just like how the alien seemed closer to him from where he was lying down under Chanyeol's propped up form. "I don't think I'm lost anymore." Baekhyun whispered and Chanyeol's heart trembled when he felt the soft breath of the alien fanning over his wet cheeks. All he could see was the wobbly beat of the blue waves dancing in Baekhyun's orbs and it made his skin crawl in the best way, causing him to suck in a shuddery breath.

"I don't feel alone with you, Chanyeol."

The world spun so fast that Chanyeol thought he would fall over if he was standing or even sitting down, Baekhyun's soft hand still cupping his cheek as the other took a hold of his jaw feeling like a dream under the stars watching them from above. 

The last thing he could make out was an electric blue flashing before his eyes and then Baekhyun was kissing him, holding his face so cautiously that Chanyeol wanted to hold on the touch to make sure it was real, their lips brushing with a fleeting touch and sending a flaming spark deep down Chanyeol's core and igniting a blazing fire that he had no control over. Baekhyun gently pressed his soft lips against Chanyeol's for a beat longer before leaning back and the soft lullaby slowly died down in Chanyeol's mind as he struggled to breathe again, sighing with a bodily shudder. 

He felt one last tear streaming down his face as he watched Baekhyun smile to himself and stare back up the sky, the darkness prettily littered with shining stars blanketing them in a soft light.

On a particularly hot Sunday afternoon where the sun was shining high up in the sky without a single cloud in the distance, Chanyeol and Baekhyun went to the forest where the alien was about to install a few new programs he came up with to the main control system of his ship. 

Baekhyun was totally engrossed in his work while Chanyeol was busy dying from the heat while still trying to be useful. Seriously, cuddling with a cool Baekhyun sounded better than anything else right now, but the alien kept asking him favors and Chanyeol was happy to help him but he was about to melt at any time. They should have fixed the ventilation system before proceeding to the tricky stuff.

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo finally managed to come up with a solution to the severed data handling system a few days ago, still not able to give new commands but they apparently found the previous ones stored on it, including Baekhyun's failed tries at putting the navigation system to Earth before crashing. 

Chanyeol had a hard time getting the intricate concept of the technology but the one thing they were sure was that Jongdae would be able to find them if he checked the data. The probability wouldn't be that high in any other circumstances since a remarkable amount of time passed since Baekhyun disappeared from his planet but the alien was sure that his  _ kanae _ would do anything to find him back, and if that meant that Jongdae had to check on a defected system everyday in case of any news from his  _ kanae _ , then he would undoubtedly do it.

Chanyeol was trying to find his way between the massive engines in the very back of the ship when he heard a loud clanking resonating from the main control deck, promptly forgetting about his task and running out to go and find a frantic Baekhyun on his knees, clutching his middle with one hand and his chest with the other one.

"Baekhyun! What happened? Are you okay?" Chanyeol ran over and crouched beside Baekhyun who seemed in a trance with his eyes struggling to find a rhythm, flickering blue lights losing their glow at a fast pace and the alien crying out in frustration, flailing around but not even being able to properly stand up on his knees. "Are you hurt? Baekhyun please tell me something!" Chanyeol was getting desperate too, trying to check for any visible injuries on Baekhyun but finding nothing, his mind slowly brewing a storm in his head and keeping him from thinking straight. 

He picked up a butchered version of Jongdae's real name from Baekhyun's incoherent mumbles and panicked because what could happen about the alien that put Baekhyun in this state? "Is this about Jongdae?" 

Holding Baekhyun's face in his hands and locking their gazes seemed to work as the alien stopped thrashing around and searched around for something one last time before finally acknowledging his presence.

"Jongdae.. He- he's in danger, Chanyeol, I heard him, I.." Baekhyun's eyes brimmed with tears as they lost their vibrant color, his shoulders sagging in defeat and his rigid body becoming limp in Chanyeol's hold. "He tried to warn me, I could  _ feel _ his distress." His voice broke and the pain laced in it was so palpable that it settled a heavy weight on Chanyeol's chest who pulled Baekhyun closer to himself with hopes of calming him down a little bit. Baekhyun shuddered a breath out as he started rambling in a hushed voice so Chanyeol had to scoot closer and listen carefully while holding his shaky form upright. 

"I felt him I- I felt my mana but it wasn't in my core and.. I couldn't channel it the right way.." Chanyeol shushed him as he choked a broken sound before inhaling heavy sighs. "Something is blocking the way and I don't know.. I don't know why I- I don't know  _ how _ ."

Chanyeol stopped a very disoriented Baekhyun from clawing at his own stomach and held him tight against his chest, trying to ease him and pull him back into his senses. The wild whirls were now totally gone from Baekhyun's orbs, faint hues glistening lowly between his wet lashes. It was painful to see him like this and Chanyeol was trying his best to not freak out right there and comfort the alien instead. 

"Okay. Okay so you heard Jongdae, am I right? Did he use telepathy?"

"Yes, yes he spoke to me, but something's wrong." Baekhyun was trying to hug his own middle and lean against Chanyeol at once, his voice void of any liveliness besides the sullen tone it carried. "Something has been wrong since the beginning. I should have felt him no matter what, even if I lose my powers he's my  _ kanae _ . Our bond doesn't break."

"What did he tell you?"

Baekhyun actually looked taken aback at the question, as if he wasn't even aware that Jongdae tried to tell him something and only focusing on the fact that he felt his  _ kanae _ for a moment.

"I-" Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows and tried to recall whatever he went through a few moments prior. "He told me to stay low, I don't know why but he said to not call out for him because it was dangerous. But why?" He looked up at Chanyeol with such an intensity that Chanyeol thought he was actually supposed to know what the whole ordeal was about.

"I can't tell what he's trying to tell me exactly, but I know I felt Milky so she must be around. I need to find her. He tried to feel her to get to me so I need to find her and find out why."

"Okay." Chanyeol patted Baekhyun's shoulders and kept on holding him, feeling the slight tremble under his fingers despite Baekhyun's attempts at putting a straight face on. It was clear that the alien was shaken up even though he tried to mostly hide it and stay strong, so Chanyeol needed him to calm down and clear his head before doing anything or taking hushed decisions. "Let's go home first." 

He cut the protests off Baekhyun's lips and tried to persuade him to be reasonable. Baekhyun was clearly not in a stable state and Chanyeol wasn't going to let anything happen to him because he failed to think straight. "You need to eat and rest, we've been here for hours."

"I can't, I need- I need to find Milky, she must be around and I need to feel her and talk to Jongdae.. what if- what if he's in danger?" Baekhyun was starting to tremble like a leaf in Chanyeol's arms and the latter was so close to panic and just throw all caution away to start roaming around the forest with the alien, uncaring about the possible dangers after the bizarre occurrence a few moments ago.

"Wait, wait Baekhyun. We need to think before acting, you said Jongdae told you it was dangerous to reach out to him, right?" Baekhyun nodded dazedly, and Chanyeol could finally see the gears starting to work in his head. "We have to find another way of getting in touch with him. Let's go home first and I'll also call Kyungsoo so we can all come up with a plan."

Baekhyun's eyes were still fixed on the forest but he reluctantly agreed and nodded in silence, gripping Chanyeol's hands in a tight hold to lift himself off the ground. 

"Okay." He sighed. "Let's make a plan."

Baekhyun, of course, didn't wait to get home to start thinking and plotting, answering his own questions and weighing options during the ride home. Chanyeol gave his own opinions from time to time although he was a total stranger to the alien's power concept. 

By the time they were home and Chanyeol started reheating leftovers from the day before, Baekhyun had already a few paths he was contemplating, trying to think about every obstacle he could encounter in each situation in his mind.

So far Chanyeol could only figure out the probable reason Jongdae could find them and reach out to Baekhyun telepathically, which was their success at fixing the main data handling system that eventually gave their actual location away.

Taking in consideration everything that could go wrong, Baekhyun suspected that his enemies who put him in this situation in the first place found out the location information besides Jongdae and that could have been the reason his  _ kanae _ tried to warn him upon reaching out to him before saying anything else.

"But how could Jongdae talk to you, you said you couldn't feel him before?" Chanyeol was filling Baekhyun's bowl of rice with side dishes from time to time, nudging him silently to get him to eat while he wasn't busy thinking out loudly.

"It must be Milky. I'm not sure how but I can't think about any other explanation. She's my mediator so she must have felt my core and tried to connect my mana with Jongdae's and that must be why Jongdae could finally reach out and feel me too."

Chanyeol wasn't really following but he didn't want to interrupt Baekhyun's chain of thoughts. The alien might find out what was happening at this rate and Chanyeol could only watch him in awe as he was busy planning very rationally, eliminating everything unprobable while staying in the same lane of thinking and finding out new possibilities.

"But," Baekhyun stopped chewing and put his chopsticks down to stare Chanyeol down with a deep crease between his eyebrows. "How come I could have access to my mana the first time I saw you?"

"Maybe Milky was around then too?" Chanyeol tried. He honestly had no idea where that answer was coming from, he was rather feeling like inventing new rules to a game he didn't know about. He pushed Baekhyun's glass of water towards him and watched as he slowly drank from it while still thinking.

"Milky can't create mana and transfer it to me, she can only channel it and help me to shape mine in the right way if I ever need it. She needs someone else’s mana to help me use it." Baekhyun pushed his plate away from himself and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest as Chanyeol watched the pucker of his lips deepen and form a full pout. 

"Maybe she found another source?"

"I don't know about any accessible source on your planet, but it might be that. Or anything else that I can't think about." Baekhyun sighed.

Chanyeol stood up and looked for his phone. He heard Baekhyun letting out a longer, tired sigh and his heart dropped. No matter how many times he saw Baekhyun being desperate, he never saw him that miserable. The sullen look didn't fit Baekhyun's bright features at all, taking away the lovely curve of his lips and his comforting aura all together.

"Let me call Kyungsoo, he might see a different perspective in all of this."

Just as Chanyeol tapped his phone screen to unlock it, the device started to ring in his hand, announcing an incoming call from his best friend. He swiped his thumb over the screen and started talking before Kyungsoo could even greet him.

"Great timing Soo, I was just about to call you." 

"Right now?" Chanyeol frowned as his question spiked Baekhyun's interest, locking eyes with the alien while listening to his friend.

"Yeah, sure. We can." He motioned a finger towards the door to Baekhyun as if to say he wanted to go out and hummed. "See you in a bit Soo, love you."

Baekhyun kept staring at him as Chanyeol frowned to his phone like he heard something he wasn't supposed to, shrugging after contemplating for a few seconds more. "Well that was weird." Chanyeol said.

"What happened?"

"Kyungsoo told me he loved me back,” Chanyeol frowned. “It happened exactly zero times before. I actually thought I was talking to the wrong person for a moment."

"What else did he say?" Baekhyun asked again, and Chanyeol could see his uneasiness right through him, an uncomfortable feeling creeping up his back at the sight.

"He told me he wanted to meet you at the ship and ask for ideas because he couldn't understand something about processors and uhh.. conversion systems."

Something was wrong. Baekhyun didn't say anything but Chanyeol saw it, the subtle shift in his stance. The alien acted oddly since the incident at the ship but his whole demeanor changed as soon as he heard Chanyeol's answer. Chanyeol tried not to panic, he really did but he could feel the thoughts crowding his mind. He tried to push them back and keep his calm but Baekyun's serious expression wasn't helping either.

"Chanyeol." His name came out visibly strained through Baekhyun's lips and Chanyeol was sure something bad was happening. "Kyungsoo was the one who managed to deal with the whole data handling system, he fixed the processors himself. There's no way he'd ask for my help for something he already took care of by himself." Baekhyun explained.

"Oh my god." Chanyeol was definitely panicking right now because nothing was adding up. Why would Kyungsoo act weird and ask for favors he clearly didn't need? He really didn't want to think about the little voice he tried to push away in his mind but it was now screaming at him and rendering him unable to care about anything else. He didn't want it to make sense but it made sense. "You think he's in danger?" He asked.

"Look I don't wanna alarm you but I think he might have unwanted company." Baekhyun said and Chanyeol gasped in horror because despite Baekhyun trying to ease him, his face was stern, his lips tightened in a straight line and his shoulders tense. He seemed like he caught on whatever was happening while Chanyeol was still gasping like a fish out of water.

"What?"

"I need to go." Baekhyun stood up, already striding towards the living room. "They won't care about him if they have me."

"Wait,  _ what _ ?" Chanyeol held on Baekhyun's wrist, successfully stopping him from going further. Everything was happening so fast and Chanyeol felt like Baekhyun was sliding right between his fingers right now. He tightened his hold and faced Baekhyun properly, already getting lost in the deep brown of his eyes and terrified that he might magically disappear right in front of his eyes. "What do you mean if they have you? Do you know who is with Kyungsoo?"

"I think I know, and trust me it's for the best if I'm the one dealing with them." Baekhyun said.

No. This was way too dangerous and Chanyeol wasn't going to let a vulnerable Baekhyun go to his enemies alone to save Kyungsoo. Chanyeol wouldn't let that happen.

"There's no way I'm letting you go by yourself."

"No Chanyeol." Baekhyun's fingers were firm yet his movements weren't harsh while he detached Chanyeol's hold from his wrist, his touch lingering on Chanyeol's knuckles for a beat too long. "This is not something you should meddle in."

"What are you even going to do by yourself?" 

"I'll improvise." 

Baekhyun wasn't being persuasive at all and it only urged Chanyeol to hold him back at all costs. He let out a long sigh and stubbornly stated out as a last solution. "I'm coming with you."

"Chanyeol." Baekhyun's voice was laced with a palpable desperation and it actually made Chanyeol stop and stumble over his thoughts for a second. "You don't know about these.. people. They're ruthless and they absolutely won't let anything get in their way." He looked like he was contemplating whether to say something more but pressed his lips together, closing his eyes and huffing frustratedly.

"You mean in their way to get to you." Chanyeol simply wouldn't let him go, and if that meant being childishly stubborn then so be it. Upon seeing Baekhyun's lack of answer, he grabbed his car keys and made a move to show them to him. "I'm coming with you."

"No you're not." Baekhyun got in between Chanyeol and the door, refusing to let him go any further.

"Fine then. You go alone, I'll just follow you."

Baekhyun stood in front of him, clearly at a loss of words in front of Chanyeol's determination. Chanyeol could see his resolution crumbling down the more he kept their stares locked, not backing down or letting him get the upper hand.

"Okay." With a last, defeated sigh, Baekhyun pursed his lips and finally agreed. "Fine. But we're following  _ my _ rules."

Chanyeol grinned in victory and a tiny part of his brain couldn't help but think that a determined Baekhyun was undeniably hot even in those circumstances. He pushed the thought aside and focused on their current situation.

The car ride was the exact same as what they were used to nearly everyday over the last weeks but somehow it felt much longer and the air was much stuffier, a veil of suffocating silence stretched upon them in Chanyeol's car for the most of the time.

The sun was starting to go down, basking the forest road in dreamy colors and creating an almost magical view. Chanyeol pulled up at the side of the road near the clearing, killed the engine and took a moment to get lost in the way soft oranges gave way to bubbly pinks over the sky, trying to feel the serenity of the setting sun amidst the gloomy atmosphere in his car.

Baekhyun stopped his hand when Chanyeol tried to undo his seatbelt, prompting him to look up in his restless eyes. The shades whirling in his orbs were as somber as a starless sky, causing a shiver to rake up through Chanyeol's spine.

Chanyeol could see the evident distress storming in those eyes, a whirlwind of frenzied emotions getting lost in between each other through the dark tones. This was the first time he was seeing Baekhyun that serious and lost at the same time, the alien's whole body rigid with tension and an unsettling aura emanating from his deepless eyes.

"Repeat everything I've told you." Baekhyun's cold fingers didn't leave Chanyeol's hand yet, the softness of his fingertips caressing the skin of Chanyeol's bumpy knuckles and easing his mind the slightest bit.

However no matter how much Baekhyun was filling his senses with a sea of tranquility, the heavy atmosphere lurking around them was slowly engulfing Chanyeol, seeping in his veins and squeezing his lungs uncomfortably.

The light tap on the back of his hand had him snapping back to reality and releasing a shaky breath, letting some of the stuffy sensation out of his chest.

"Come on Chanyeol, this is serious business." Baekhyun shifted in his seat and faced Chanyeol properly, stopping to play with his fingers to take his hand in both of his own and keeping a steady hold on Chanyeol who was feeling like gravity was pulling him down uncontrollably. "I don't want any harm near you."

"Uh.." Chanyeol tried to breathe despite Baekhyun's words filling him to the brim, fearing that the tremble of his fingers was about to get noticed by the alien at this rate. "So I'll basically stay here and wait."

Baekhyun's appreciative hum was an indication to keep on explaining but the way he started to slide his nimble fingers along Chanyeol's caused the dazed human to tumble on his words.

"And- And I'll take Soo in the car while you'll do the.. arrangements out there." Chanyeol sucked a sharp breath in and barely kept the full body shiver to himself when Baekhyun intertwined their fingers completely, his cooler palm resting comfortably over his sticky one. "And we'll.. we'll stay low and wait for you at the last intersection before the forest."

"This is important." Baekhyun reminded him. "I'll find out my way out of every possible situation so don't think about anything else and go back if I'm not back after a while. Don't stop no matter what you see and go."

Chanyeol honestly didn't trust himself for that last part but he didn't comment about it, reveling in the way their fingers seemed to fit perfectly and how Baekhyun liked to play around replacing his fingers one by one, caressing his knuckles softly when he deemed their position accurate.

"Be sure to stop the car and keep the lights out, and pay attention in case someone is following you."

Chanyeol's eyes fell on Baekhyun's subtle pout, on the faintest lines that appeared on his forehead with the way his eyebrows were furrowed. The last rays of the setting sun were catching delicately on his cheekbones, reflecting off his silvery tattoo in the most mesmerizing way. He seemed pleased with the way their hands molded together too, humming to himself before looking back in Chanyeol's eyes. It was visible in his eyes that he was worried even if he seemed busy with his little distraction.

"If you see anything suspicious don't go home, go somewhere crowded and blind in instead. They hopefully won't want to deal with many people and cause a scene."

The unsettling feeling was wiggling its way back in Chanyeol's gut the longer Baekhyun kept giving him directions. The fact that it felt like something really bad was about to happen was disturbing and he hated that he couldn't stop getting anxious over it and just get lost in Baekhyun's eyes and bask in Baekhyun's refreshing warmth with the blissful feeling of Baekhyun's thumb tracing circles over his knuckles.

For a split second, Chanyeol dared to think that Baekhyun seemed reluctant to leave him and go out, but with that thought came the realization of why they were here in the first place. The sweet hopefulness left its way to shame as Chanyeol thought about his best friend who needed help. He couldn't be grateful enough to Baekhyun who was ready to do all of these for Kyungsoo.

"Take care." Chanyeol muttered, not trusting his voice to come out as strong as he hoped it to be and squeezing Baekhyun's hand instead.

"You too. And don't worry, I'll get Kyungsoo out of there." Baekhyun reassured him, giving him a fragile smile while still caressing his hand lovingly. "I'll be back too."

"Promise me." Chanyeol didn't mind that he might be crossing a line between them by closing the little space between them and leaning into Baekhyun's space. He felt the need to be physically close to the alien, like he could somehow fill the void starting to creep in his gut before Baekhyun even left his side.

"Promise me," He repeated, watching Baekhyun's tattoo sparkling faintly, faded azures and deep ocean blues mingling together in gentle swirls, a steady buzz pulsing through the glowing mark. "That you'll be back."

_ That you'll come back to me. _

"I'll be back." Baekhyun promised. Or maybe he just stated it out but the implication was still the same for Chanyeol and that was enough for him. Baekhyun raised their linked hands to press a lasting kiss on the back of Chanyeol's hand, squeezing it one last time before gently untangling their fingers and turning around, leaving the car wordlessly.

Chanyeol let out the breath he was holding as he watched him disappear into the forest, headed towards his hidden ship under the fading lights of the dazzling sunset.

Chanyeol couldn't remember a single time in life where he was that anxious and scared while waiting by himself in his car. The sun was long gone from the horizon, the beautiful cacophony of colors melting away and leaving darkness to slowly settle down over the deserted forest.

The restless feeling was growing stronger as the sunlight dimmed and left him in obscurity, his hopes slowly sinking with the little voice in his head feeding him fearful scenarios.

Seeing anything in the distance was getting harder with the lack of light and it was getting scarier by the second so Chanyeol nearly lost his mind when he could make out a figure coming toward him with a fast but irregular gait.

He barely had the mind to lock the doors and get ready to start the engine in case of emergency, squinting to finally realize that Kyungsoo was limping his way toward him. Chanyeol rushed out of the car to help his friend, taking a relieved breath when he didn't see any visible bruise on Kyungsoo's body.

"Soo are okay? What happened? Why can't you walk?" He wanted to ask so much more, but the relief of seeing his best friend safe and with him kept his mind from thinking further. They were going to be okay.

"I'm okay." Kyungsoo winced when he put his weight on his right foot and huffed a quiet laugh at the irony. "I just sprained my ankle, it's nothing important."

Chanyeol helped him to get in the car and hovered over him, not sure what to ask next. He settled on the pressing one first. "Is Baekhyun okay?"

"I hope he'll be." Kyungsoo sighed and motioned to the driver's seat, stretching his legs in front of him. "Get in and lock the doors first, I don't think it's a good idea to stay out in the open like that."

Sitting down in the car with Kyungsoo by his side made Chanyeol realize that he had a plan to follow. "The plan. We need to stick to the plan." He reminded himself.

"What's the plan?"

"We'll just wait for Baekhyun at the end of the road for now, we need to stay low." Chanyeol started the car and put a hand on Kyungsoo's thigh to persuade himself that everything happening was real and they were really about to get away from danger. Kyungsoo's leg was jittery, which was really unusual for him.

"What's happening out there Kyungsoo?"

"There's only two of them but- they're powerful Yeol. I don't know what they're planning exactly, they were only trying to get Baekhyun." 

The fear in Kyungsoo's voice was so evident and foreign that Chanyeol had to take several breaths to get a hold of his emotions and not freak out completely. He made eye contact with his best friend to see his mouth hanging open and a calculating expression on his face.

"What?"

Was he hiding something bigger?

"Nothing. I just hope he'll get out of there."

"He will." Chanyeol's voice was so strong and determined for the first time and it made Kyungsoo look up at him with curious eyes. Chanyeol didn't need much explanations, the reason he was so sure about the fact that the alien would be back were his words and Chanyeol's absolute trust in them. "He told me he would."

They were at their planned meeting point in a few minutes of silent ride, Chanyeol pulling over and turning off all lights as instructed before they started waiting for Baekhyun.

The total darkness was dampening Chanyeol's mood and caused him to grow jittery after what felt like hours of waiting. Every second passed excruciatingly slow and even though Chanyeol was checking the time every two minutes, he could swear that they waited way longer than what his phone told him. It wasn't supposed to take that long for Baekhyun to return, and it took everything in Chanyeol to stop himself from thinking about the worst that could have happened.

"I think we should go now, Yeol."

"Just a few more minutes." Chanyeol squinted to see better in the distance but nothing changed since they got here, not even a leaf flying around aimlessly with the lack of an evening breeze. His eyes were tricking him from time to time, showing him undistinguished movements in the darkness in front of them which ended up being light tricks or his own mind feeding him lies.

"That's the third time you're saying this, it's been nearly twenty minutes now." Chanyeol's eyes finally left the unwavering obscurity to land on his best friend beside him. Kyungsoo had his injured leg on the dash with his shoe off, his ankle probably swollen and in pain from his tense posture. "We shouldn't mess everything up for Baekhyun, you said that was his plan."

"You're right."

The least they could do for Baekhyun right now was to follow his lead, but Chanyeol still felt bad that they had to go without him. He heard Kyungsoo's low wince after changing his position and felt bad that waiting for Baekhyun meant putting his best friend's health in second place.

"He said he would come back, right?" Kyungsoo tried to persuade him once again.

Chanyeol nodded silently, a small flicker of hope brewing inside him.

"Then trust him and let's go. I'm sure Baekhyun wants us to be safe too."

"Okay." Chanyeol took a breath to clear his head. "Okay let's–"

The booming sound of an explosion cut him off abruptly as the ground beneath them shook from the intensity of it, both of them swaying in their seats with the violent oscillations disorienting them.

"Start the car." Kyungsoo's voice was trembling but his instruction was clear, yet still, Chanyeol's ears were ringing from the fear he felt, his hands were shaking and he had a difficult time trying to concentrate enough to process what his best friend was telling him.

A flash of blinding light lit up the darkness, lingering and pulsing in harsh, intense waves across the night sky. Kyungsoo had reflexes quick enough to shield his eyes with his forearm where Chanyeol was entranced by the blazing light burning his eyes. He could feel the heat setting his eyes on fire when the silvery light was followed by a fierce red, spreading through his whole body and intensifying deep in his gut, deeper than his whole being.

"Come on Chanyeol, we have to go." Kyungsoo's incessant tapping on his arm finally brought Chanyeol out of his trance, and he fumbled with his keys with shaky hands.

In his haste to start the engine, Chanyeol accidentally pressed on the horn and scared them both, his hands trembling nervously as he put the gear on and pressed on the pedal with full force.

They were speeding up toward the main road when Chanyeol checked his rear mirror and saw an awfully familiar figure running incredibly fast toward them.

"Baekhyun?"

Kyungsoo's eyes widened and he turned around swiftly, going into a full panicked mode when he saw who was approaching them.

"Fuck, that's not him go go go!" He shouted in Chanyeol's ear which only confused his friend more.

"What?" The car was slowing down with a dazed Chanyeol behind the wheel. Kyungsoo grew restless and grabbed Chanyeol's arm to shake him.

"I'll explain later just step on that damned accelerator."

Chanyeol was getting even more confused with Kyungsoo's behavior. How wasn't that person Baekhyun? Why wouldn't they stop and take him in? 

"Chanyeol, listen to me. We  _ need _ to get away or he'll kill us!"

Maybe it was Kyungsoo's words, or maybe Chanyeol remembered about their plan and realized that Baekhyun wasn't supposed to run after them, but his brain suddenly decided to cooperate and stepped on the accelerator with all his might, the momentum throwing them both backwards into their seats.

With a sudden whoosh of air and a buzzing sound, all lights of the car went out, leaving the frightened duo in darkness once again.

"What the hell." 

Chanyeol was still pressing down on the accelerator, fiddling with the headlights controls and waiting for his eyes to get used to the obscurity.

"Chanyeol slow down, you can't see anything." Kyungsoo was back at losing it, and it was such a foreign behavior of him that Chanyeol was starting to get frustrated with it. He wasn't strong enough to keep it together when his best friend was panicking right beside him.

He only took his foot off the pedals for a few seconds to lower his speed then kept it pressed down at a steady pace, squinting to look into the distance.

"You said he was about to kill us, Soo, I can't stop. Besides, I know this road too well, I'll manage even like this."

It took them a few agonizing minutes to reach the last intersection that would lead them to the city, lampposts finally appearing at each side of the road and lightening their surroundings.

Kyungsoo still seemed panicky, clutching the handle with too much force and checking the side mirror way too often.

Whoever was behind them back at the forest road had long disappeared, but the two friends were still feeling anxious about the situation, especially Kyungsoo.

"Soo, what the hell was that? Was it someone behind us?" Chanyeol asked, finally driving at ease now that he had a clear view of the road in front of him. He saw his best friend looking once more in the mirror in his peripheral vision before Kyungsoo took a relieved breath, easing Chanyeol's mind at the same time.

Chanyeol had no idea what Kyungsoo witnessed at all but from the way his best friend acted in the past hour, it couldn't mean anything good.

"I don't know." Kyungsoo huffed. "They had weird names, and I couldn't understand anything for the most of the time. The only thing I know is that they want to get rid of Baekhyun."

"How many of them were there?"

"Only two, but they were far more brutal than Baekhyun. I don't know if he's currently strong enough to deal with them or if he's trusting his abilities in general."

Baekhyun's face flashed before Chanyeol's eyes, and with it came the mysterious man chasing them and the weird situation with the lights of his car going off, the explosion, the lightning-like flashes in the sky with the ominous feeling filling him.

"Who was after us? Was it one of them?"

The striking resemblance of the man and Baekhyun was hard to miss, and it only confused Chanyeol more. What exactly did they get themselves into?

"Yeah."

"But he- he looked like Baekhyun?" Or maybe it was a trick of his eyes, maybe it was so dark out and Chanyeol was hoping to see Baekhyun so much that he mistook the stranger behind them as Baekhyun.

He didn't know what to think about anymore, he tried to come up with all kinds of excuses but what he saw seemed clear to him at that time. It looked like Baekhyun was running after them.

"He did." 

Kyungsoo's answer only brought more questions and confusion fogging Chanyeol's mind. How could someone look like another that much? Was it really all in Chanyeol's head? Did they merely look alike but it was only him that made it into a big deal? 

"It looks like Baekhyun has some kind of evil twin." Kyungsoo said.

Chanyeol kept himself from hitting the brakes too abruptly, but his hold on the wheel loosened for a second and the car swerved sharply to the right before he regained control and slowed down.

What was happening?

"I hope he's safe." He murmured.

_ He better keep that promise. _

They finally reached home after a silent ride through the busy and luminous streets, still checking their surroundings from time to time to make sure that they were safe.

Chanyeol only entered his apartment's parking lot after going around the neighborhood twice, both of them waiting for a good five minutes before getting out of the car and getting in his apartment.

The rest of the night passed with a heavy silence laced with anxiety, both of the friends in a restless wait of any sign from the alien until they went to sleep.

The next morning finally came after a long night filled with too many thoughts and scenarios that led Chanyeol to become restless and anxious at times, desperate to do something to be helpful to Baekhyun in any way while tossing and turning in his bed.

It didn't feel right to be sleeping alone on his bed, and somewhere along the way, Chanyeol started thinking about Baekhyun's comforting presence that put him to sleep at nights, his soft skin and cool body temperature that made cuddles much more enjoyable in the summer heat.

Baekhyun really appeared out of nowhere and fit himself right in Chanyeol's very much ordinary life, bringing the soothing shades of a summer sky, the fierce waves of a deepless ocean and the longing of a starless sky with himself.

He brought all shades of blue and sprinkled them like a glittery rain in Chanyeol's plain life, from the merry ones which bloomed hope within him to the wistful ones that drowned him at times, splashing his colors on Chanyeol's empty canvas that was now filled with him.

Chanyeol turned off his alarm and pretended he was beginning a new day, bright and warm that would lead him to the soft tones he was hoping to find back soon.

Kyungsoo seemed in a similar state judging by his lifeless expression, sitting blankly at the kitchen table by himself. Chanyeol didn't bother to greet him good morning before plopping down on the seat beside him, content to feel his silent presence by his side.

It was unsurprisingly Kyungsoo who first showed signs of being alive, getting up to start the coffee maker and looking in the fridge to prepare breakfast. He was avoiding leaning his weight on his right foot which didn’t go unnoticed by Chanyeol. He made a note in his mind to bring his friend to a doctor soon enough.

"What time do you have to go out?" Kyungsoo asked, fixing food that Chanyeol didn't have any appetite to care about.

"Huh?"

"Work." A mug of coffee got pushed into his hands by his friend, swaying his attention away from his own thoughts. "When are you going out to work?"

Chanyeol put on his most persuasive pleading expression, pursing his lips for better emphasis. He even managed to melt Baekhyun's stern rules about their turns at tv with that face once.

"Don't even think about calling in sick."

But of course, Kyungsoo wasn't one to be swayed with mere puppy eyes.

"I can't work like this, Soo."

"You can't stay at home in this state either. You have to keep yourself busy somehow or you'll overthink and it won't do you any good."

"What if Baekhyun-"

"If Baekhyun comes back while you're still at work," Kyungsoo gave him a toast and urged him to take a bite with hand motions. "He knows how to reach you. I'm sure he'll manage it on his own."

The only reason Chanyeol didn't push the matter was because he knew Kyungsoo was right. Chanyeol wouldn't be able to stay home by himself all day, his thoughts disturbing him at every opportunity. He might as well get busy with work but the probability of Baekhyun looking for him or needing him in case of an emergency was pushing him to think that staying alert at home was a better idea. 

However one look at his best friend's face confirmed that he wasn't up for any discussion so Chanyeol ate his toast and gulped down his coffee, hoping that it would numb his brain for a bit instead of boosting it.

"I'll come back when you're done with work and we'll see what we can do, okay?"

"Alright." Chanyeol mumbled in his coffee and got up to ready himself for work. It was going to be a long day.

Time passed surprisingly fast and before Chanyeol knew it, it was time to get off work. He really didn't have the mind to do anything productive, busying himself his work for a few minutes before dozing off for the next hour through the day.

He went home while trying not to get his hopes up but still couldn't stop the disappointment creeping in when only Kyungsoo greeted him in his living room with no traces from Baekhyun at all.

Kyungsoo welcomed him and went into the kitchen where Chanyeol saw he was setting up the table for dinner and once again thought that he really couldn't be more thankful for his caring friend that was by his side no matter what the situation was. Kyungsoo seemed to walk without the visible limp by now so it relieved Chanyeol and lifted off some of the weight on his shoulders the slightest bit.

Chanyeol didn't bother to wash up and change properly, taking off his work clothes right in the middle of his living room until he was left in his underwear only, snatching a messily discarded tank top lying on his couch and putting it on instead. It was ironically Baekhyun's favorite piece of clothing because of its soft material and comfortably large size.

Shaking his head to disperse his thoughts, Chanyeol went to wash his hands in the kitchen sink and plopped down on a chair with a tired sigh. He was feeling like suffocating again and the heat wasn't helping at all. Maybe he should have turned the ac on.

Kyungsoo served them both their food and settled down in front of Chanyeol then they both started to eat in silence, munching on their food distractedly, each in their own world.

"Let's go to the forest." Kyungsoo suddenly said.

"Sure." Chanyeol agreed, surprised at himself for being so calm about this. "It's not like we have anything better to do anyway."

"I just hope we'll manage to find something that'll lead us to Baekhyun."

Kyungsoo was busy playing with his food instead of eating it, picking the vegetables aimlessly while Chanyeol watched him. It was strange to hear the fear lacing his every word since yesterday, and Chanyeol kind of started to blame himself for his friend's abduction.

"Do you think-" Kyungsoo started again, setting his chopsticks down to face him properly. Chanyeol could see his eyes shaking. Or maybe Kyungsoo was shaking, he couldn't be sure. "Do you think they'll still be around there?"

"I don't know, they might be." He sighed. "But if they really don't care about us then it should be okay."

Baekhyun said those people were after himself and that they weren't interested in Kyungsoo or Chanyeol, so they should be okay, right? They would be. Chanyeol really hoped that they would be.

Dinner was soon over with way too much leftovers and they were helping each other washing the dishes with the now regular tense silence filling the air when Kyungsoo decided to speak and reassure himself once again.

"Maybe he's still busy and we're just getting impatient."

"I don't know. I don't want to think about anything going wrong." Chanyeol admitted. It was a hard task and the unsettling silence in the house wasn't helping but he tried to stop his mind from overthinking.

A faint commotion coming from his apartment door caught Chanyeol's attention but he tried to pay it no mind for his sanity. He decided to stop overthinking and be rational instead just moments ago, but it really sounded like someone was trying to pick the lock so he turned off the tap to hear it better and check. 

Kyungsoo turned to stare at him questioningly and from his expression a few seconds later, Chanyeol could see that he heard the noise too.

"Baekhyun doesn't have a key."

Someone was really trying to get in. 

After the realization and the initial shock, both of them flailed around aimlessly for a few seconds, looking for potential weapons to protect themselves in case of emergency.

Kyungsoo opted for the pan in his hand which was the heaviest one while Chanyeol thought the best protection was his friend. Together they went to the door, Chanyeol half hiding behind Kyungsoo.

The distinct clicking sound of the lock was loud in the deafening silence, Chanyeol holding his breath as they watched the door slowly opening while Kyungsoo held the pan in a defensive stance.

The movie-like scene left them with their jaws open, watching as a stranger appeared in front of them. Chanyeol's face was mostly covered by the pan in Kyungsoo's hand but he could still make out a mop of blond hair.

"Oh, you were home.” The young man's eyebrows were raised in a surprised manner and he looked way too comfortable for someone who just broke into a house and got caught. "I had no idea, or I wouldn't have spent a good five minutes on that hopeless lock."

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were both too dumbfounded to say or do anything, watching the weird man in curiosity. 

"You should really change that by the way." He pointed to the lock he picked moments ago, scrunching his eyebrows and smiling at the same time. "I'm sure technology evolved around here too."

Chanyeol took a step aside from behind Kyungsoo and his pan to see who broke into his apartment and matched gazes with him. He saw a curled smile and yellow tinted eyelids which could pass as a sparkly eyeshadow work but Chanyeol knew better.

Just as his eyes widened in realization and he was about to confirm the man's identity, he found himself in a chokehold and struggling to breathe in with two cold hands clasped around his neck. The pale yellow shades left their place to a fiery golden color fanning around the man's eyes, sharp syllabes flowing from his lips with venom dripping from them.

Kyungsoo was too dazzled to intervene, dropping his pan and getting the situation when he could make out one particular foreign word. The stranger was talking about Baekhyun. All pieces finally came together in his head and he threw himself to get between his best friend and his attacker.

"Wait! Wait a minute, that's not him."

Chanyeol's face was becoming alarmingly red by now, his hands uselessly trying to detach the grip around his neck. Kyungsoo did know how to properly defend himself unlike Chanyeol, but he certainly didn't want to aggravate the situation by attacking the man on his turn. He opted to scream whatever came to his mind to get his attention, grasping a tense arm to avert him from Chanyeol.

"We're Baekhyun's friends, and he's not who you think he is, you have to listen to me."

Baekhyun's name had the effect Kyungsoo was hoping for, the blonde man's attention now solely on him and his hands already loosening around Chanyeol's reddened neck.

Chanyeol looked so lost, and Kyungsoo couldn't be sure if it was from the lack of air in his system or by his words which must have sounded crazy to his friend.

"What did you just say?" The man asked, wariness dripping from his words. He didn't look like he was convinced, but at least he stopped his dangerous attempts so that was okay for now.

A fit of severe coughing cut Kyungsoo off, and he rushed to disentangle now frozen hands from Chanyeol's neck completely, keeping eye contact with the blonde during the whole time.

"Jongdae?"

It was Chanyeol, his voice coming out as a broken sound before he tried to clear his throat.

Silvery thunders flashed in Jongdae's eyes as he balled his hands into tight fists, ready to pounce at any second.

"Chanyeol is the one who helped Baekhyun." Kyungsoo tried again, rubbing his friend's back soothingly. "And I think we need to talk."

"Oh shit."

The talk consisted of Kyungsoo persuading Jongdae that they meant no harm while Chanyeol was busy catching his breath and clearing his throat from time to time, all of them still in front of the opened door.

Jongdae wasn't easy to convince, checking out Chanyeol's body over and over the whole time as if he was searching for something invisible, which was really weird and kinda rude in Chanyeol's opinion.

The tallest of the trio couldn't catch up on everything they were talking about but he saw Jongdae's jaw slackening and his shoulders relaxing after a while. That hopefully meant they were good for now.

"I'm sorry, that probably wasn't a good first impression on my part." Jongdae said with a regretful smile, scratching his neck sheepishly. Chanyeol couldn't be sure if he was constantly smiling or it was just the pronounced curls of his lips.

"Are you really Jongdae?" Kyungsoo asked, still wary about the alien's presence. He undoubtedly had every reason to be cautious around aliens and Chanyeol couldn't blame him for it.

"Yeah, I heard I go by Jongdae around here." Jongdae shrugged, leaning against the doorframe while the curls of his lips deepened with a tight lipped smile.

"You talked to Baekhyun?"

One thing Chanyeol knew for sure that both of the aliens weren't familiar with the names they were using. In fact, he had no idea why they had such common names at all. Did it come with the language transfer? Or were they choosing them? Chanyeol didn't really think about it this whole time, and it surely wasn't the most pressing matter right now.

His heart was spiking with the possibility of having news about Baekhyun, excited and nervous at the same time. Jongdae looked way too relaxed to his taste and it was starting to get on his nerves because he had to lose his mind since yesterday while the alien apparently had all the information out of nowhere.

"Yeah, he told me to come here."

"Where is he?"

"Well Chanyeol," Jongdae pushed himself off the doorframe and stood up properly to turn to Kyungsoo. "And you're?"

"Kyungsoo."

"Right, Kyungsoo. I'll gladly explain everything if you could just let me in. I came a long way, you see."

"Oh." Chanyeol moved out of the way as Kyungsoo picked the pan from where he dropped it, gesturing to their rather unexpected guest to come in. "I'm sorry, please come in."

Jongdae took a step forward before stopping himself as if he just remembered something. He looked up to stare in Chanyeol's eyes wordlessly, his orbs sparkling with golden stripes. Chanyeol could nearly feel a softly buzzing energy flowing from Jongdae to tingle his senses, the moment over after mere seconds.

"What was that?" He asked once he could find enough strength to avert his eyes from the aliens'. Jongdae was already walking past him into his living room.

"Don't worry it was only language transfer."

Chanyeol closed the door and followed him inside with Kyungsoo trailing behind him. "That wasn't how Baekhyun did it though." He muttered under his breath, not that it really mattered.

Jongdae hummed, the sound stretching into what sounded like an amused tone and plopped down on the couch at the same time, making himself comfortable.

"And how did he do it exactly?" He looked up at Chanyeol and yes, he was sporting a teasing smile, like he knew exactly what had happened between Baekhyun and Chanyeol himself.

Images of Baekhyun cradling his cheeks started to rush in Chanyeol's mind, and he cleared his throat to get rid of them and ignore the heat creeping up his neck. "Nothing- uhm, I mean nothing special. I just.. saw his eyes flashing blue."

"Of course you did." Jongdae answered, and Chanyeol didn't dare to ask what it meant, afraid of giving away any unnecessary details and embarrassing himself.

"Do you want anything to drink?" He asked instead, awkwardly hovering over the alien.

Jongdae shook his hand to decline but then nodded as an afterthought. "I'd like to try your coffee actually."

Chanyeol was dumbly staring into his eyes, a pair of shiny ambers looking back at him. "Baekhyun said he loved it so I tried some while I was out but it wasn't really what I expected."

Seeing no reaction from Chanyeol, he straightened his back and became thoughtful. "If it's not too much work to make, of course. I don't wanna be a burden."

Kyungsoo snorted from behind Chanyeol and tried to pass it off as a cough, watching them from where he was seated himself.

"No it's okay." Chanyeol said and made his way to the kitchen to prepare coffee for all of them. He felt like Kyungsoo and himself also needed some.

"Maybe I chose the wrong kind, they definitely had too many options." He heard Jongdae continuing his monologue and could almost hear a pout along with it.

Jongdae was definitely too quick at making himself comfortable, even more than Baekhyun. Chanyeol was once again intrigued by their antics and their social norms in general.

While he was busy making three cups of coffee, Chanyeol heard Jongdae and Kyungsoo having a conversation but they were both talking so quietly that he couldn't make out anything besides hushed sounds.

He went back to the living room while balancing a tray in his hands and saw Jongdae's gaze fixed on the floor with a concentrated expression on his face and Kyungsoo munching on his lower lip, a nervous habit of his best friend.

Jongdae beamed like a happy child upon seeing him and reached for one of the cups, as if he wasn't deep in thoughts seconds ago.

"I didn't know how you'd like it so I made it the same as Baekhyun’s." Chanyeol explained, pushing cream and sugar toward the alien in case he wanted to try them. "Baekhyun doesn’t like to add some to make it sweeter."

Instead of copying Baekhyun's coffee, Jongdae poured a generous amount of cream and sugar in his cup and took a sip, humming in satisfaction and not bothered by the scalding liquid at all. Total opposite with his  _ kanae _ .

"It's okay like this, Baekhyun's taste is shit anyways." Jongdae laughed and Chanyeol didn't know whether to laugh along or to cry because they were talking about Baekhyun like he wasn't missing.

Well, technically. Jongdae claimed to have spoken to him but Chanyeol still had no idea about his whereabouts and it was driving him crazy.

"Where is he?"

His question earned him a scrutinizing look from Jongdae, his eyes glittering like he was looking past Chanyeol's soul and made him nervous.

Jongdae closed his eyes and gave Chanyeol a close look at his flaming eyelids before smiling again. Despite his constantly upturned lips and joyful demeanor, this smile looked bittersweet.

"I don't know where he is right now." He sighed, taking a sip of his coffee. He clearly was not as stressed as Chanyeol about the situation though his shoulders were noticeably tense.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"He's currently busy spying on the clones and we're only getting in contact in case of absolute need or emergencies."

"But-" Chanyeol stopped himself and took a breath to calm himself down. Wasn't it unfair to send Baekhyun after those dangerous people when he was clearly in a disadvantaged position? "He doesn't even have his powers?"

Jongdae's face fell and his eyes lost their glow, a dark shadow of anguish washing over his expression and showing how much he was affected by it. Chanyeol felt remorseful to try and blame him just to relieve his own frustrations even if it was only in his mind.

"His mana is still missing, that's why we need to get information from them and find a solution." Jongdae explained, putting away his empty mug.

"Who are they exactly?" Kyungsoo had been silent for most of the time, slowly drinking his coffee and taking in everything. He was curled up on the sofa and still looked anxious, albeit it seemed like Jongdae's presence relieved him too. "You said clones."

"Do you want the short answer to that or do you want a detailed explanation?"

"The explanation." Chanyeol and Kyungsoo shared a look after speaking at the same time, the latter smiling for the first time since what felt so long.

"Well then," Jongdae looked amused too, crossing his legs and sitting upright to face both friends. "This is gonna be a little long and boring so you better prepare yourselves."

Had it been under other circumstances, Chanyeol would be excited to hear about the explanation and new facts that he used to learn from Baekhyun, however this time he was afraid that only the dark aspects of the planet were about to get revealed so he couldn't help the anxiety slowly creeping in.

"I suppose you both already know about our planet?"

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol both nodded silently which seemed to satisfy the alien.

"I don't know how much you know about it but unlike here on Earth, gene adjustments and various ways of reproductive processes are common in Elyxion. So you can say that everyone has peculiar abilities though it's not exceptional like Baekhyun's and my powers."

Aliens and various levels of superpowers, that wasn't very shocking news.

"We both have fully developed mana cores and can directly control power sources or form bonds with astral mediators, which gives us much more strength and influence."

"What do you mean by mediators?" Chanyeol asked. Baekhyun often mentioned his powers but Chanyeol could never imagine to what extent they were going.

"Anything capable of containing a high level of mana." Jongdae shrugged. He pulled on a thin chain around his neck to show them a sparkling gem hanging from it. 

"Mine's a lightning stone. It appears when lightning strikes a crystal by chance and the excessive amount of mana gets stuck inside. I'm the only one who can actually touch it because I can wield its mana."

"I don't mean to be mean but what makes you and Baekhyun so special?" Kyungsoo asked. He was the only one still drinking his coffee, sipping from his mug distractedly while listening.

"Our duty is to enforce Aether's authority." Jongdae simply said.

"Who?"

"Aether is our.. leader. Our planet is ruled by a single authority figure who promised a safe land to misfits and outnumbered species. He had to establish strict rules to impose his influence over various kinds living together."

"And he chose you and Baekhyun to help him?"

"He created us to build a proper system where he could have absolute control over everything." Jongdae corrected. "It's not just the two of us."

Baekhyun's words echoed in Chanyeol's mind,  _ we're only his puppets anyway _ . So they were really created for a single purpose.

"Did you manage to do it?" He asked.

"Yes. You're expected to excel in your job when you're created for a specific purpose and have all the skills you need based on it." Jongdae said.

"You probably heard some of it from Baekhyun, we had to go through extreme training for years just to contain and control our cores. He was the closest thing to perfection amongst all the subjects and managed to master his powers although many were suspecting that he eventually wouldn't."

Baekhyun often mentioned that he was a mere subject with a specific purpose but never actually talked about how hard he had to train or what he had to go through in order to follow rules.

"We brought peace and order in and around our planet and managed to protect ourselves all this time."

"There is a 'but' coming in, right?" Chanyeol guessed. Everything clearly went wrong at some point, that’s why they were in this situation.

"Yeah. Subjects like us started appearing one day. Aether calls them the clones created by Red Force, they look like us but with more intricate powers and less morals."

"Like your evil counterparts?" Kyungsoo tried. He was trying to find some kind of explanation to what he saw the day before but his guesses were never accurate.

"I'm not sure. They look like our clones and they're only programmed to destroy while we're our own individuals with enhanced capabilities. We're not directly linked or anything." Jongdae pursed his lips, lost in thoughts for a moment before he continued.

"We don't know where they're from or how many of them there are. Baekhyun and I were investigating it for a while and we almost tracked them back to their own planet during our last mission but I needed to go back to Elyxion for backup and Baekhyun crashed here."

Chanyeol witnessed the exact time Jongdae's eyes matched his necklace and sensed the now familiar buzzy feeling embracing him while the alien's eyes kept glowing in golden shades. Jongdae's whole demeanor shifted after a few tense seconds and his jaw tightened, a sharp exhale leaving him.

"And now they're here, after him." He muttered and his tone sent a shiver to run down Chanyeol's spine. That was the voice of Baekhyun's  _ kanae _ who was ready to do everything for him.

"They must know that he can't use his powers, or there wouldn't be only two of them." Kyungsoo stated. He was finally done drinking his coffee, gathering all the empty cups in the tray and leaning back into the softness of the couch.

"Of course they do, they did that to him." Jongdae said, and Chanyeol was sure he could probably see thunders in his bright eyes if he looked close enough.

"But how?" He asked. If Baekhyun and Jongdae were that powerful, how could anyone manage to render them powerless like that?

"We'll hopefully figure it out, Baekhyun's keeping a close eye on them." Jongdae let out a quick sigh in which his eyes turned back to their soft colors, stretching his limbs and groaning in relief. His voice was also lighter when he spoke again, as if the mere thought of his  _ kanae _ brought him inner peace in a few seconds. "Well that's kinda the whole story, any questions?"

"What's your power?" Kyungsoo asked.

"Lightning." Jongdae grinned. It somehow fit him. It was also a bit creepy, for a young and innocent looking man to hold that much power in him.

"How did you get in touch with Baekhyun?" Chanyeol asked in his turn. He still couldn't wrap his mind about how they were trying to reach Jongdae all this time and how they couldn't even feel relieved now that he was with them. 

"He found his mediator back." Jongdae huffed like he wasn't actually happy about that fact. Chanyeol couldn't make out what exactly he muttered under his breath but he caught something about scratches and paws.

"You mean Milky?"

"Whatever her name is, I hate that little monster." Jongdae grumbled. He sounded oddly serious about it although his pursed lips looked turned upward.

"But what does it have to do with you talking to Baekhyun? Is it about your telepathic abilities?" Kyungsoo asked.

"Telepathy between  _ kanaes _ isn't limited to both parties being in possession of their mana. We can also get in touch when we're both in proximity of our mediators, because they can link one’s mana to the other’s core."

"Baekhyun didn't seem like he was aware of that." Chanyeol said. Or else they would have put much more effort in looking for Milky and getting in touch with Jongdae all this time. Or maybe it wouldn’t work since Jongdae was so far from them. Chanyeol had no idea.

Jongdae looked up in curiosity.

"He kinda freaked out when he heard you yesterday."

God, it really felt like a whole week passed instead of a day. Chanyeol couldn't be sure if he lost all perception of time but he could swear that more than a mere day passed since he last saw Baekhyun.

"He must have been confused that I got in contact with him all of a sudden." Jongdae said. "I bet he didn't care about my warning and tried to look for me anyway." He chuckled to himself before his gaze turned into a calculating one while looking at Chanyeol.

"Now, there's also one thing I'm curious about."

Chanyeol only nodded to let him ask whatever he was curious about, ready to help him in case he needed any of his help.

"Why do you also have a clone?" Jongdae asked bluntly.

_ What _ .

It took Chanyeol several moments to grasp the question as he checked Jongdae's expression to see whether he was being serious or not.

"A what?" 

The faint buzz at the back of his head intensified to boom in his ears as Chanyeol struggled to gulp once, trying to keep breathing despite the constricting feeling squeezing his chest.

He turned to look at Kyungsoo in question, not knowing what he was expecting to find on his best friend's face. Kyungsoo looked taken aback too, but Chanyeol could see it in his eyes that this wasn't something new for him.

Was this the reason he was so shaken up since yesterday? Did some weird evil clone looking like him kidnap his best friend?

Thinking back about the person chasing them yesterday, Chanyeol knew that he didn't just resemble Baekhyun. He  _ was _ Baekhyun. That was exactly Baekhyun's face, his shape, his body. He could understand Baekhyun having a clone to an extent, he was basically a project, a created subject so someone might have copied it with malicious intentions.

But Chanyeol?

How could something like that happen?

"Do you expect me to know that?" 

It was ridiculous. Uneasiness settled in Chanyeol's gut and squeezed him from the inside, rendering him unable to do anything or think properly. He refused to believe that this was actually happening.

"Not really. You seem like a completely normal human from what your friend told me."

Chanyeol threw Kyungsoo a betrayed look at that. That must have been what they were talking about with Jongdae when he was busy in the kitchen.

Jongdae didn't seem to mind the little exchange between the two friends and kept explaining, not that Chanyeol could exactly keep up. "So you're not one of us that somehow ended here."

The constant whiplash of emotions was starting to get tiring for Chanyeol. He just wanted to lock his brain for an hour or two to let it rest and feel human again.

Were they really discussing the probability of him being an alien? What the hell. The thought was more disturbing than it was impossible and Chanyeol didn't appreciate the feeling.

"Nothing weird ever happened in your whole life?" Jongdae asked, frustratingly serious. "Like a weird energy in you or the feeling of being pulled in specific elements?"

"What is this? Harry Potter?" Jongdae's blank face was enough indication that he didn't get the reference, which wasn't surprising. Chanyeol sighed and tried to control his fuzzy emotions. "Nothing. No bizarre occurrences, no dark family secrets, nothing at all. I'm just.. a very ordinary human."

Jongdae’s eyes raked over Chanyeol’s body and opened his mouth like wanted to add something but then decided against it and closed it back. "Alright. I guess we'll eventually find out about it later."

"Anyway." Jongdae sat upright and patted his thighs, ready to stand up. "I need to leave. Do any of you want to come with me to see Baekhyun's wreck of a spacecraft?"

"Why are you going there?" Chanyeol asked even though they were also planning to go there with Kyungsoo. Maybe Jongdae had a proper plan.

"To see if I can save what's remaining of my ship of course, I spent a lot of time building it. Baekhyun told me it would be hard to fix it properly but I still want to take a look at it." Upon seeing the two friends' faces, Jongdae grimaced. "You don't look really bright, I guess I gotta keep my expectations even lower than before."

"Most of the control panel's main pieces are here." Kyungsoo stood up to lead Jongdae where they usually worked with Baekhyun, little parts of the panel messily scattered around. "I've been working on it but I'm a stranger to your technology so it's a slow progress." He explained.

"Of course that asshead wasn't useful while fixing it, he was too lazy to help me to build it in the first place." Jongdae groaned. Despite his words, Chanyeol could feel the affection he had towards Baekhyun. He was probably even more worried than Chanyeol, not having seen his  _ kanae _ who he deemed closer than a brother. 

When Jongdae and Kyungsoo started talking about the ship's high technology and terms he had no idea about started floating around, Chanyeol tuned the two nerds out and wondered what Baekhyun was doing right now. He must also be excited to see his  _ kanae _ again after so long.

The whole time difference stuff between their planets was still tricky to Chanyeol but he could still figure that Baekhyun was missing for months in Elyxion. He couldn't even think about what Jongdae must have gone through if Baekhyun was that devastated during his stay here.

Jongdae's plans about going to the forest vanished as they fell into a deep conversation about avionics and softwares with Kyungsoo, the alien fixing errors and explaining how to clear blockages while Chanyeol got lost in his own thoughts.

Jongdae and Kyungsoo turned out to make a good pair when it came to engineering, soon falling into a silent pace of taking care of various tasks and minding their own business while still checking up on each other from time to time.

Chanyeol wasn't really paying attention to them until he noticed Jongdae's eyebrows furrowing deeper than usual, the alien closing his eyes to display his flaring eyelids and causing Chanyeol to grow distressed by the second.

He didn't need Jongdae to say anything, the anxiety emanating from the alien so palpable that he could feel it thrumming through his veins and causing him to get restless while he waited for something to happen. Kyungsoo was also watching from the side, wires forgotten in his hands.

After an agitated minute that definitely felt like stretching forever with Jongdae's eyes flashing uneven shades and his clenched fists trembling by his sides, the tense air finally dissipated to leave a shaken up Jongdae and two curious pairs of eyes watching him in curiosity.

"It's broken." He announced idly.

Chanyeol's heart dropped. He didn't want to hear more of it. He could nearly feel the emptiness growing in Jongdae's chest sucking him in, away from reality.

His best friend held him in place when he stumbled backwards, looking at Jongdae with curious eyes.

"The connection." Jongdae clarified. He then stared straight in Chanyeol's eyes, his gaze so pained that Chanyeol's throat squeezed uncomfortably and caused his breathing to grow labored. "He's gone."

It was as simple as that, for Chanyeol's hopes to shatter and his whole world to crumble down to his feet. Hearing that they were a step further from getting in touch with Baekhyun, heck even that he might not get to see him again- 

He needed to stop thinking about it. He was feeling lightheaded, waiting for Jongdae to turn out to be an asshole and prank him about it but from the look on the alien's face and the way his eyes lost their glow, Chanyeol knew this was really happening.

Unlike him, Jongdae was quick to snap out of it, his face hardening with strong determination.

"I need to go."

"Where?"

"I need to find him." Jongdae said. His voice sounded far more alarmed than his composed expression, his hands shaking at his sides.

"I'm coming too." Chanyeol grew alarmed, afraid the alien would disappear from his sight at once. Jongdae was his only hope to see Baekhyun again.

"Chanyeol." Kyungsoo tried.

"No way." Jongdae's tone was firm, but Chanyeol couldn't bring himself to think about having no news about Baekhyun at all. Whatever Jongdae was about to do, he wanted to be there as well.

Upon seeing Chanyeol's unrelenting gaze, Jongdae's expression softened and he tried again. "Chanyeol, you can't even stand a minute in space." He sighed. "I can adapt and fight if I have to, and I  _ won't _ put you in danger just like that."

Jongdae was right. Everything he said made sense, but Chanyeol couldn't just sit and wait.

Baekhyun told him he would be back. Chanyeol knew that was a promise, and he was also ready to risk his all to find him.

"Do you know where to go?" Kyungsoo asked. He seemed even more composed than Jongdae, a pensive furrow between his eyebrows.

"Rf-05."

The words tumbled from Chanyeol's lips without his knowledge, not even realizing he spoke until Jongdae's shocked face greeted him as an answer.

"What- what did you just say?"

Chanyeol just stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say. He had no idea what he was saying either. 

"Wait how-" A contemplative look crossed Jongdae's face before it all clicked in his head. "Fuck it all makes sense," He looked up at Chanyeol in curiosity. "Where did you hear about that place?"

"Is that a place?"

Jongdae looked even more confused so Chanyeol tried to explain himself, not exactly knowing how to do it. "I don't know, I just felt like I needed to say it. I.. I think I heard Baekhyun mentioning it."

Jongdae was silent as he kept watching him, his eyes flashing colors every now and then. The faint shades of his orbs deepened with sparks of white thunders tearing through them, his face illuminating with realization. 

"That's right, that's fucking right." His voice was raising with excitement, confusing the two friends. "Damn how couldn't we think about that before."

"Do you mind explaining to us what just happened?" Chanyeol asked. He was curious why Jongdae sounded so enlightened when he was so confused himself.

"The Red Force." Jongdae said. "They're at a planet called Rf-05."

"How so?"

"I'll have to check a few things to make sure, but from what I recall-" Jongdae pulled his hair frustratedly, huffing in annoyance before letting out a curse. "Fuck where's Baekhyun when I need him."

The hopeless cry for his  _ kanae _ made Jongdae look miserable, Chanyeol once again feeling bad for the alien. Baekhyun's absence was really the worst that could happen to them, and although Chanyeol felt like he wasn't as important as Baekhyun's  _ kanae _ to him, he still couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life without seeing Baekhyun at least once.

"Let's- let's sit down." Chanyeol said, feeling the sudden need of supporting himself. The influx of emotions was quick to drain him from the little amount of energy he had, leaving him in a blank state of nothingness. He felt like he couldn't keep up with everything happening anymore, but he needed to go on to find Baekhyun, that was his only priority right now.

Sitting down was really the best option, also with Kyungsoo bringing them each a glass of water, the tense air seemed to have dissipated and let them all clear their minds even if it was the slightest bit.

"You remember about what I just told you about Aether right?" Jongdae started. 

Chanyeol had no idea why he was asking that when he just had an epiphany about the Red Force moments ago but he still nodded, curious about what was about to come.

"Well in fact, he wasn't alone from the start. He also had a  _ kanae _ ."

Now that was unexpected. Chanyeol had no idea why he thought Aether would be a random man when he apparently had powers and even a  _ kanae _ .

"No one knows how, but together they found out how to maintain and even control a core filled with mana. Rumor has it that they experimented on various species, but none could manage to contain raw mana except us and that was why they chose our planet to settle down."

"We were known to be of vagabond nature before they came, but they changed that, establishing a whole system that they ruled. Then after creating what they called the perfect gene, they infused it on our people and gave us various powers in exchange for our loyalty. Baekhyun and I among a few others were their last... creations."

"What went wrong?"

"Everyone knew that even though they were  _ kanaes _ , Aether and his lifelong friend weren't getting along really well. Aether’s  _ kanae _ was saying their experiments were dangerous, and giving a species that much power would break the mana balance."

"So he went and created your evil clones." Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, guessing the rest by himself.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what happened. No one knew about his whereabouts ever since he disappeared, but Rf-05 is the perfect place for him if you think about it properly. It's known for its inhabitable environment and dark mana surrounding it."

"Perfect to create evil clones." Chanyeol muttered to himself. The whole story sounded like a movie and he had trouble while processing everything happening at times.

"No one cares about Rf-05 enough to go and check around. I think Baekhyun and I were the firsts to do so since a long time, and even we didn't suspect much, relying on the data our navigation system provided us." Jongdae sighed, regret flashing through his eyes. "We should have landed and examined around ourselves, I'm sure that's where they are."

A brief silence stretched above them, where Chanyeol found himself lost among all the information he got with his best friend in a similar state, Jongdae's lips pursed in a contemplative pout.

"I had no idea Baekhyun suspected Rf-05 though, or he would have told me." He said while looking at Chanyeol, as if he was searching for an answer on him.

"Maybe he wasn't sure?" Chanyeol tried.

Jongdae chuckled to himself, a little mirthful sound leaving his curly mouth. "That's exactly the reason why he would have told me. To think about it together."

"Sorry to break it to you guys, but we're kinda shit without each other. It even took me that long to find him." Chanyeol saw Jongdae's smile breaking a little bit, the sparkle in his eyes fading to settle on a dull color.

"What are you talking about, Baekhyun doesn't even have his mana and Milky was lost, you were so cool to find us." Kyungsoo got agitated, his hand movements frantic and an amazed expression on his face.

Jongdae smiled in gratitude, his hands flattening on his thighs. "Thank you for restoring all the data by the way, I didn't have any other clue."

"You don't have to." Kyungsoo laughed, his cheeks squishing in the cutest way that made Chanyeol tease him all the time. "I wasn't really aware of what I was doing, if I have to be honest. The pieces of the main control panel weren't functioning so I couldn't do much."

"They must be behind all of these." Jongdae's jaw clicked, a murderous expression back on his face. It was scary to see his playful expression shift so rapidly.

"So what's our plan?" Chanyeol tried to dissipate the tense air for a bit, focusing on planning a way to rescue Baekhyun in case he needed their help. He hoped it wasn't the case.

" _ My _ plan.” Jongdae corrected. “I'm going alone." His tone was final, but he must have known by now that Chanyeol wouldn't simply agree with him.

"Our plan, I was the one who suggested going to Rf-05.” Chanyeol insisted.

Jongdae simply sighed. It was going to be hard to persuade the stubborn human.

After some preparation and a lot of bickering on Chanyeol and Jongdae's side, the trio were on Jongdae's own spaceship, ready to go. Jongdae told the two humans he had no idea why he let them on his trip but that he somehow wanted to trust his gut feeling. He looked at Chanyeol and hoped this was a good idea.

According to their research on Rf-05, it wasn't suitable for humans at all, so their only hopes were that they wouldn't take long and that Jongdae's data was actually right.

Everything seemed to happen in an alternate universe Chanyeol was used to watch or read about, from the high tech of the ship to the actual journey. 

He was waiting for a more dramatic impact as they went up the sky and ended up out of the atmosphere, but Baekhyun was right, Jongdae was an professional when it came to engineering and building ships, so the shock or nauseating feeling Chanyeol was waiting for didn't come.

It took them a while to process that everything happening was real and that they were in space, going to an unknown and apparently evil planet. Kyungsoo seemed too relaxed for it to be real, so Chanyeol thought he was trying to convince himself that everything was okay.

After a trip equal parts creepy and amazing, Rf-05 was finally in front of them, far in the distant darkness, a closer view of the planet on Jongdae's many screens across his control panel. It looked.. unnervingly normal, nothing like Chanyeol's vivid imagination suggested him beforehand.

Jongdae started pressing on buttons right and left, which honestly looked like he was doing it randomly, then turned sideways on his seat to face Chanyeol. "Okay Chanyeol, repeat everything I've told you."

Baekhyun's face as he said the exact same words flashed before Chanyeol's eyes before he could get a grip of himself, once again being amazed by the  _ kanaes’ _ similarities.

"You go out while we stay here and Soo keeps an eye on the screen for anything from you..." Chanyeol trailed off. 

Jongdae's face was determined though, not leaving it at that. "And?"

Chanyeol didn't have a clue how or why the last part was even relevant in Jongdae's mind, the whole concept foreign to him. "I contact you if I ever.. feel Baekhyun."

"Don't roll your eyes." Jongdae was being serious and it made Chanyeol question his own sanity once more. 

"How could I possibly feel him? Isn't that something  _ you _ should be able to do?" He asked.

Jongdae looked at him with a pensive face and just sighed. "Just contact me if you do."

Chanyeol was slowly starting to get frustrated by now, feeling like Jongdae was keeping something from him and he was being left in the dark. But Baekhyun was their main priority now, so he only huffed out in agreement.

The change was subtle but it was there, the more they approached Rf-05, the more it looked eerie, as if they were looking at it through some sort of-

"Wards." Jongdae announced. "This won't be a smooth landing so be prepared."

Going past the ward was like hitting a physical barrier in all aspects, the whole ship rattling and everything shaking uncontrollably. Chanyeol shut his eyes tightly and thought that was his end for a second before it passed and they were stable once again.

Nothing looked like it did from out of the planet, which left them in awe. It felt like they entered a whole other planet than what Jongdae's screen was showing them moments ago, the scenery far more threatening.

Lands in shambles started to become visible across the vast field before them, deserted and dark although it didn't feel like it was nighttime. The air seemed extremely polluted if Chanyeol had to put it into words, and he didn't doubt it must feel like so too.

Chanyeol felt chills running up his spine, this place was definitely not giving good vibes.

Despite the engine being so shaken up from what Jongdae called the atmospheric re-entry and the weird ward around the planet, Jongdae was pretty smooth during landing, and Chanyeol finally let the breath he was holding when the rumbles of the engines quietened down to a dull hum.

Jongdae got up and did some check ups around the control panel, pressing and pulling buttons once again. He scrolled through informational data about the planet on one of the main screens and closed it back when he looked like he deemed it enough. 

His whole demeanor shifted as he looked into the distance, and even though they were seeing nothing in particular with no trace of any living beings around, the place held such an ominous tension that there must have been something going around.

The alien felt through his pockets and looked like he was doing last second check ups in his mind, his eyelids blazing golden shades and his jaw clicking once he seemed ready.

He looked like a warrior despite the lack of visible weapons on himself, and Chanyeol was as amazed by the sight as he was ready for it. This was no joke for Jongdae, his mind fixed on finding his  _ kanae _ who might be in danger.

Chanyeol watched him in curiosity as he opened his mouth on his way out, as if he was ready to remind them of their duties, but Jongdae simply nodded at them once before leaving them alone in the main control deck, out to find his  _ kanae _ .

Jongdae took in his surroundings as he went around, hiding behind anything he came across, which weren't anything more than what seemed like failed attempts at new kinds of vegetation. The increased amount of dead branches and faded tracks on the sandy ground under his feet were enough indications that he was on the right path.

Being extra cautious and with swift movements, it didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for.

“How unoriginal.” He snorted upon seeing the facility towering over deserted lands, the tall structure an exact copy of their own back at Elyxion.

It stood high on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere, so at least they had the mind to take the location into consideration and be smart about it. They had the advantage of seeing anyone outside while protecting themselves, the surroundings being guarded heavily.

Jongdae paid attention to stay unseen as he took in every detail, considering the fact that a direct attack would be impossible to get in with the way the facility was protected. He looked up the tall protective walls around, his gaze sweeping over the guards positioned at every strategic point and the whole way up the front doors, every possible route leading to the facility under surveillance. 

“Not bad.” He hummed. 

But he was better than that. He wasn’t so high-ranking in Elyxion for nothing, and surely enough, he wasn’t known for being a genius when it came to infiltration for nothing.

The sky was still dark with a thickening mist settling around when Jongdae smirked and prepared himself. He closed his eyes and sighed out a long breath, relaxing under his skin. A flash of white tearing through the sky illuminated his shimmering eyelids while a deafening thunder accompanied his next exhale.

“Hm, how refreshing.” He hummed in satisfaction, feeling the joy of using his mana.

Although he wasn't the best when it came to memorizing about planets like Baekhyun, Jongdae still did his research beforehand and found out that thunderstorms were quite common in the area. Especially thunders that caused power shortages if they were powerful enough.

He started to wait with anticipation and soon enough, someone came out of the heavily guarded doors and barked orders between flashes of whites and rattling sounds.

“Guards keeping the main route, get inside to fix the security cams!”

Jongdae smirked again. “Bingo.”

Of course they would lessen the security on the main entrance, the place where any sane enemy wouldn't dare to breach and opt for the back routes instead, which were watched even more tightly than the grand entry. 

Also the place Jongdae was about to go inside from.

He just had to find the weak link in the chain, and the rest would be a piece of cake.

A guard at the end of the line to get inside jumped a little after a particularly loud thunder, cursing as he looked like he twisted his ankle on his way.

“Gotcha.” Jongdae’s lips curled in satisfaction before he got into action.

He was quick and efficient when it came to disarming and blacking the man out, though he had to admit it was a bit hard to be discreet while hiding the body.

“What the hell are they feeding you in there.” He huffed when he finally managed to hide the unconscious guard, proceeding to analyze the technological equipment he was wearing.

He was dressed in no time and hoped for the best when he went back to the place the man was supposed to guard, limping for a show. As he got closer to the gate, watching everyone cautiously to blend it perfectly, a guard of higher rank saw his -hopefully- convincing limp. “What is it?”

“Ah, I just sprained my ankle by accident.” The man he took down seemed dumb so Jongdae opted to chuckle awkwardly, his face serious under his mask.

His superior rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance. “You're always getting yourself into trouble. Go get treated quickly, and this better be the last time or you won't be getting away without a disciplinary measure the next time.”

“Open up.” He announced to the two guards before the door, talking in his earpiece with the same commanding voice. “738 on his way up, send someone else at the front for support.” He looked at Jongdae pointedly. “I don't want any inconvenience with the security while the subject is getting inspected inside.”

Jongdae only lowered his head in response and kept limping until he went past the doors, looking around for any clue where his  _ kanae _ might be. He quickly checked around with his eyes and went up using the stairs. If this place was really the same as the one back home, Baekhyun should be on the top floor.

The subject is getting inspected, the guard said. What were they looking for exactly? They already created clones, and Red Force surely knew everything about them, being the one behind every stage of their creation, so what could he be after?

Jongdae pushed the doors at the top floor and went straight toward the examination rooms at the end, thinking about how Red Force was really stupid enough to design everything the same way at Elyxion.

Luckily enough, there were no guards around the floor as Jongdae went to check each room for any trace of Baekhyun. The guards must have been busy with the power outage, which didn't affect anything  _ inside _ the facility, but they would surely reinforce the security system and the guarding procedure during those times, so he had to be careful.

Jongdae nearly screamed in relief when he finally saw Baekhyun through the window of an examination room, his  _ kanae _ ’s limbs tightly tied to the bed while half a dozen of people were drawing tests and examining him, some monitoring his vitals while others were examining his calmly buzzing tattoo's patterns.

_ The rate of his heart _ , Jongdae recognized it. He knew his  _ kanae _ better than these people.

He went past the room to find the next one occupied too, not by a patient but an orb at the center of all the machines. He recognized the energy right away. That was Baekhyun's mana kept in a small white orb, the current inside flowing in circular motions, at the same rate of his tattoo.

“What the hell.” Jongdae whispered in horror, looking closer.

The screens were filled with information about Baekhyun and his power, his abilities and a few test results listed with his vitals under it. They were trying to measure his mana's extent. Jongdae threw the screen a disdainful look and quickly moved away to check the next room. 

It was built in a similar pattern as the one before, but the place where the orb should have been was empty. Were they trying to recreate it, or the evil version of it? But didn't they technically do it already with the clones?

With his curiosity getting the best of him, Jongdae looked for more information on the screens but they were bare, non functioning without the orb.

His questions were left unanswered as he finally checked the last room on the corridor, peeking through the window on the door. His stance was defensive and mindful of any attacks coming from behind until he processed what he saw and froze in his spot. His eyebrows furrowed as a long string of curses left his lips, his stress level spiking up by the second and causing the thunderstorm outside to grow wild.

Subjects were ready to be united by their orbs, allowing them to have access to an unlimited amount of mana. Streams of data were sliding down the screens, researches and attempts listed with their results. The subjects had numbers on their lab clothes in the pictures, and Jongdae could make out the number 1745 on the one at the far left of the screen. Were they creating an army of clones?

Realization and the heaviness of the situation dawned on him once more as he looked around for more information, anything worth knowing of. He had to get Baekhyun out of there, but a voice in his earpiece interrupted his chain of thoughts.

_ Unauthorized landing suspected, do you hear me? We have uninvited guests. Ward number 7 was breached, 3 tropes of guards immediately at the front entrance in 2 minutes. I repeat– _

“Fuck fuck!” Jongdae went back and looked at Baekhyun through the window on his door once more. It was too crowded in the room and he could hear voices shouting orders the more he approached the stairs. He had to go now. With a frustrated huff, he started to run toward one of the back entrances downstairs.

“Jongdae, what happened?”

“I was about to contact you.”

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were both restless on the main deck of the ship, taking relieved breaths when they saw it was Jongdae who came in with weird guard clothes on.

“You need to go.” Jongdae announced breathlessly. He ran all the way from the facility to alert the two friends before anyone else could find his spacecraft.

“What?”

“Where's Baekhyun?”

“He's in there.” Jongdae assured them before going to switch a screen on and press in commands furiously. “But there were too many guards and they found out that we’re here. You have to get out fast before they find you.”

“I'm not going without Baekhyun.” Chanyeol stood in front of him with determination, refusing to let him get up from his seat.

Right. He had to convince the stubborn human first.

Kyungsoo stood up too and held a fretting Chanyeol back with difficulty. The human looked furious and out of his mind, but Jongdae knew it was all the fear and anxiety he felt for Baekhyun. He pressed around a few buttons and a timer went off on the main screen. Lastly, he took various devices he deemed useful and stuffed them in his pockets, turning toward Chanyeol.

“I’ll bring him back to you.”

“Promises again.” Chanyeol huffed, a disbelieving laugh escaping his lips. “He promised too, yet he's nowhere to be found.”

“If he told you he’d be back, then he will. You just need to trust him.” Jongdae said. Promises weren’t a thing at Elyxion, everyone was aware of the weight of their words, and Baekhyun was known not to speak in vain.

Chanyeol was about to protest again when he felt a sudden sharp pain, not even realizing Jongdae's fast move. The alien helped Kyungsoo to sit a blacked out Chanyeol on his seat and put a hand on the former’s shoulder to explain after. “I activated the autopilot and security mode, you'll take off in less than 2 mins and you'll land where we took off.” He nodded his head toward Chanyeol. “I trust you with him, contact me through the screen if anything happens.”

Kyungsoo held him back as he was about to turn around, looking in his eyes with a sincere gaze. “I trust you too, Jongdae. Take Baekhyun out of there.”

Jongdae nodded and went out in quick steps, running away from the ship before it took off.

“Shit.”

Jongdae was soon back where he hid the guard he put out before and found the place empty. “He surely created a commotion already.”

He was happy that so many guards were sent after the ship but security around the facility was probably even tighter than before, so he quickly weighed his options and thought about a new way to get inside.

“Things I do for you.”

Jongdae groaned, holding his breath in concentration as he tried to wiggle his body in the duct. Crawling through the ventilation system sounded like a good idea in his head, he just forgot to calculate the tiny detail of how exactly he was going to fit himself inside.

According to his plan, his route should lead him right to the control room, where he could hopefully find a distraction for the guards until he got to Baekhyun safely.

“Ugh.” Jongdae groaned as he struggled to take off the ventilation grille without getting caught by accident, controlling around the cramped room before jumping down.

Yeah, he might have miscalculated his trajectory a little bit. He checked the two doors facing each other, one of them void of any handle and equipped with several little screens beside it. It must be for extra security before entering the control room.

Just as he was about to take a closer look at the complex looking identification screens and see what he could do, the second door opened with the same higher up who sent him to get treated stepping in hurriedly.

The man eyed him and scowled upon seeing the number flashing on his chest, and Jongdae subtly shifted his stance to get ready to attack if anything went wrong.

“Why aren’t you in yet, I ordered every guard from the first unit for support in the control room.” He spat out, pushing Jongdae to the side to get in with a little tablet in his hands.

The door unlocked with a soft beeping sound and right as Jongdae was about to follow the head guard inside, the man changed his mind and turned around to push the device in his hands. 

“Be useful for once and bring this to the first in charge. You incompetent guards are the reason we have unwanted company, so make sure to bring him to me within the next hour.”

Jongdae luckily didn’t need to do anything other than nodding once for the man to barge out from the door he came in.

He stood in his place for one more second while examining the electrical device in his hand, stepping in with confident steps. Surveying his surroundings was his basic instinct so finding the head commander wasn’t difficult.

He blended in perfectly in the chaotic atmosphere suffocating the room, presenting the tablet in his hand with a fake alarmed gaze and taking a silent step back after a dismissive hand motion from his so called superior.

To his surprise, nobody actually cared about him enough to acknowledge his presence. Jongdae couldn’t be sure if his rank was so low that nobody bothered or if it was common for a regular guard to come in and operate in a security room.

He used his invisibility in people's eyes to his advantage and approached an empty desk. Records of video surveillance of every level in the facility were displayed on big screens, so it was a matter of time before his cover would be blown.

Taking out one of his own little devices from his pocket was easier than he expected, and so Jongdae relaxed a bit more and acted busy as he connected it to the computer on the desk, tapping busily on the screen before smirking under his mask and turning around unsuspiciously to get out of the chaotic room.

That would give him some time.

Upon turning around a corner in the long corridor leading to the operation room, Jongdae threw his earpiece off. He still needed to hear what they were talking about, but he didn’t want to get tracked in seconds because of the little device in case his cover was blown off before he was done.

He hoped Baekhyun would still be around when he went a level up toward the room he previously found him in. His surroundings seemed eerily silent and empty, causing him to quicken his steps. This might be a trap and he at least had to find Baekhyun before anything bad could happen. 

His breathing was uncontrolled when he went past Baekhyun's room with his knees bent to keep away from the window, heaving a sigh when he saw his  _ kanae _ inside and went in the room beside him.

He had to get some information about Baekhyun's orb first, so they could understand what the Red Force was exactly trying to do with his  _ kanae _ . 

The grey and white swirls in the orb seemed to fasten into a whirlwind when he went in, as if it could sense his presence. Jongdae made a quick work to take his small screen out of his pocket and transfer as much data as he could in it, while looking for a way to recuperate the orb back from its place where it was linked to multiple cables.

He froze in his place in shock when he saw Chanyeol's face amidst the data quickly transferring to his little device.

What the hell was happening? What was the Red Force trying to do with a  _ human _ ?

Jongdae got close to one of the screens and typed Chanyeol’s name in for more information, coming upon plenty of files.

“What the fuck?” 

He transferred those files to his tablet too and closed the tab after seeing a particular folder name. He didn’t have the time to check them right now, no matter how pressing they seemed like.

Distracted with everything he just witnessed, Jongdae managed to crouch down at the last second upon seeing a guard through the door window with the corner of his eye, hearing him talking into his earpiece from a distance.

“Nothing to declare on the right wing of the top level.” The guard’s voice started getting distant with every step he took. “The subject is still sleeping, he'll be transferred after his meds. The doctor is on her way.”

Jongdae didn't have any time left, not even for a plan. He silently checked to see the guard disappearing in the elevator, snatched the orb from its place, and hoped for the best.

Detaching the overflowing orb from its cables wasn’t hard to do, but the consequences were another story.

Jongdae barged into Baekhyun’s room at the exact time a shrill alarm sound resonated around the whole facility with warning lights flashing through the corridor.

The guards would surely come at any second. He locked the door as if it could actually help them and ordered the woman standing by Baekhyun’s side in a hurry. “Wake him up.”

When the doctor kept watching him in shock and made no move, Jongdae clenched his fists, his blood boiling inside and his rage flashing his eyelids in furious yellow sparkles. He shouted his order again and let the storm in his eyes unclench, thunders raking through the golden stripes.

The action seemed to be effective as the doctor took out a needle and infused its contents into a tube going in Baekhyun's left arm, Jongdae's eyes threatening her wordlessly all the while.

Nothing changed and Baekhyun kept sleeping, which stressed his Jongdae every passing second. Jongdae heard several footsteps nearing hurriedly and approached the woman with a murderous glare on, causing her to take a few steps back with a shaky voice. “It’ll take a while, he was on meds for a long time.”

The door rattled with a loud bang when Jongdae started to unstrap Baekhyun’s hands, taking in his surroundings with alarmed eyes. There was no way out besides the door, they were on the top floor with walls thick enough to stand attacks. He couldn't do anything by himself while Baekhyun was sleeping.

He freed Baekhyun’s feet with uncoordinated fingers while still trying to think of a way out, screaming in frustration when the door unhinged with the force the guards were using and then they barged in.

“Fucking hell!” A thunderstorm tore through the sky when Jongdae saw Baekhyun's state under the covers, thick straps holding his waist and thighs. “Weren’t his hands and feet enough? He’s fucking sleeping!”

A dozen guards held their weapons up in his direction and one of them warned him with a loud voice but Jongdae was too busy loosening the last strap around his  _ kanae _ ’s waist. Then with a sudden idea and a low curse, he held out Baekhyun’s orb in front of themselves, and that seemed to stop the guards.

The orb was too precious for them to destroy.

Baekhyun groaned and seemed to slowly come back to his senses, then Jongdae confused everyone in the room by shaking and slapping his  _ kanae _ to wake him up, still holding the orb in one hand. “Come on sleeping beauty, wake the fuck up.”

When Baekhyun choked up his name and his tattoo lightened up, faint waves of blues rummaging through it, Jongdae hauled him up and held him in front of his own body, plastering himself against the window and clutching the orb tightly in his hands.

He turned his head to glare at the guards and shouted with all his might, shaking the orb in his hand threateningly.

“Don’t come any closer.”

He saw all the guards concentrating, seemingly listening to orders, then saw their face contorting. They were ready to shoot.

“Ready?” He whispered in a barely awake Baekhyun’s ear before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. 

He then closed his eyes, the yellows on his eyelids sparkling brightly before both the orb in his hands and the giant window behind them exploded with a booming thunder scattering them around. 

Jongdae jumped down with Baekhyun in his arms.

Jongdae barely held Baekhyun before his  _ kanae _ slumped in his arms in exhaustion. “Fuck, Jongdae. Warn a man next time, will you?”

Jongdae smiled brightly and hugged Baekhyun tightly. “Shut up, where are we?”

“No idea.” Baekhyun laughed, causing Jongdae to throw him a questioning look. “We came in through here, so it must be our way out.” He added and shrugged. Jongdae looked around in the darkness and tried to make out where this place could be, trying hard not to make a judging face. “I was busy passing out when they first brought me.” Baekhyun explained. He was also taking his surroundings in, but he truly looked like he had no idea where they were exactly. “I don't remember clearly.”

“Still a drama queen, I see.” Jongdae teased him and earned himself a faint punch in the ribs with a silent profanity tumbling down Baekhyun's upturned lips.

“How much time did you spend on Earth to talk like them now, hm?” Baekhyun had an amused grin on, but the expression shifted when he took a step forward and had to hold on Jongdae's forearm to steady himself.

“Can you light up?” Jongdae asked, sliding an arm behind his  _ kanae _ ’s back to help him further. Fatigue was literally seeping out of Baekhyun’s eyes and weak mana, but he still made the effort and soon enough, his tattoo buzzed faintly with a low dim light brightening their surroundings.

Jongdae whistled in awe as he inspected the giant spacecraft in front of them, looking far more evolved than their own with its size and design only. This place must have been where the Red Force was storing all their ships judging by the fair number of them.

The two  _ kanaes _ went up the largest ship’s stairs, Baekhyun struggling with all the effort he was spending with Jongdae’s supportive hands around his middle. 

Jongdae was quick to make some check ups around the impressive control panel and revive the engine, taking a relieved breath at the lack of an alarm for any unauthorized action this time. He grinned as he fixed his gaze on the heavy door in front of them, lips curling when the whole wall crumbled down with a powerful lightning.

He took off expertly through the opening and they gradually went up toward the wards protecting the planet, hoping to breach it smoothly with the Red Force’s own vehicle this time. Jongdae saw Baekhyun leaning back into his seat, muttering a small,  _ teleportation drains me _ , a second before passing out without even bothering to close his mouth or eyes properly.

Jongdae reached out to adjust his seat for him before fumbling around the many buttons and screens on the control panel and hacking in the heavily guarded security system. He tapped their destination in and crushed a small screen at the corner with a small spark of electricity, looking around himself for any other traceable part or devices.

Lastly, he activated the security mode on and leaned back in his seat as well, flying off and leaving the cursed planet behind them without a trace.

Baekhyun’s soft snores and the constant buzz of the engines were the only sounds in the otherwise silent ship, while Jongdae made sure everything was going well with the control mechanism. The directions he punched in took over as he switched to the autopilot system and heaved a sigh.

He looked over Baekhyun’s sleeping form, his own exhaustion spreading and pooling behind his eyelids. But adrenaline was still buzzing through his veins after everything he saw, keeping him awake and agitated. 

Taking out his small device from his pocket, Jongdae connected it to the control board's system, going through the data he managed to get a hold of. He swiped past the files filled with technical details about the cloning procedure, even if those would be his main priority any other day.

But not today. Today he had to find out why the hell Chanyeol's face was plastered on the main screen in the facility and why the lab was filled with equipment and an empty place meant for an orb. He stopped and leaned closer to the screen when something specific spiked his interest.

It looked like some sort of personal diary, with many entries on different dates, the first one from years back. A period of time Jongdae spent a lot of time studying, their creation and all the experiments, the training and his whole life being studied at all times.

Those weren't new information for him so Jongdae went past them, stopping when he noticed a second entry around the same time as their process, if not a little earlier. His interest got sparked and his eyes concentrated as colors started swirling in them in hazy motions.

_ Planet: Earth _

_ Galaxy: Milky Way _

His eyes raked through the texts, trying to take as much information in as he could the quickest possible. 

_ Subject name: Park Chanyeol _

_ Age: 6 solar years _

“Fuck, is this real?” Jongdae muttered under his breath, his eyes not stopping for a second and his necklace emitting a comforting warmth in response to his distressed mind.

_ The transfer of a fire orb in the subject is successful. _

But how?

Chanyeol didn't even have a proper core to start with, didn't possess the convenient energy level in him to contain it. Hell the procedure wasn't physically possible with a human who didn't have a place to maintain mana safely in his body.

_ … granted in exchange for helping the purpose... _

“Granted?”

They considered this a blessing? Was this really how Aether found the right species for his experiments? Without any background check?

Jongdae's posture stiffened and his eyes hardened to a dull shade. He was never really fond of Aether, no one really was, with his too stern personality and strict rules. But power and respect was what kept him on top until this day. Jongdae didn't think Aether was the most ethical person out there, but did he really insert mana in random species and waited for the consequences?

_ No inconvenient results noticed. _

So he also waited to see if he succeeded or if the process backfired?

_ No significant use of the orb or its mana, channeling successful on various occasions but failed control over it. _

It all made sense, Baekhyun and Jongdae both felt the remnants of a certain mana in Chanyeol because the human actually possessed a core. Chanyeol must have sensed something when he first met them too, but he was a stranger to the whole concept so he might not have realized that it was his core who felt pulled in toward Baekhyun and Jongdae's mana. But why was his mana missing if Aether gave him one?

It was all getting more complicated the more Jongdae read, and to hell if it didn't make his head pound. 

The entry ended there and Jongdae grew more impatient by the second, quickly browsing through files and searching for the rest.

He came across something else and did a quick check through Baekhyun’s and his own training program while scrolling. Baekhyun's was way longer as his powers were much more numerous compared to him. He read a bit through it and kept it aside, looking for more.

A file named 04, no doubt about Baekhyun, was protected with tight security. Jongdae made quick work to crack the password and open it, and soon the page started loading on the screen.

He didn't wait for it to load and decided to read the rest of the previous entry he was reading in the meantime, but the experiment details ended abruptly after a last note.

_ Experiments must be stopped. _

_ Granting too much power to subjects will lead to uncontrollable effects. _

The locked file finally loaded and Jongdae found out it was Baekhyun's medical files along the process of the first genetic modification ever.

Reading through his  _ kanae _ ’s process was one of the hardest things Jongdae had to do in his whole life, his body shaking with anger with every word he had to take in.

_ Too much power to contain for the subject. _

_ Impossible to contain various mana sources in a single core. _

_ Harmful amounts of mana perceived. _

_ Pursuing the process. _

_ Damage and potential loss of internal organs. _

Fuming with rage, Jongdae abruptly turned the device off and punched his own thigh in order to not disturb his sleeping  _ kanae _ by his side.

“How dare you..” He gritted through his teeth, having a hard time to keep his growing anger at bay.

Jongdae was the only one to know about Baekhyun's ability to use many energy sources at once, being his  _ kanae _ and also excelling at his own power thanks to their connection. He was there with Baekhyun during his whole life, witnessing first hand when his  _ kanae _ was training to the point of getting sick, often getting ill because of it.

Everyone always thought Baekhyun’s weak condition was due to his excessive training and packed studying schedule, unlike Jongdae who had only one speciality and therefore, more time to rest.

But to think that it was all because of the greedy Aether caused him to see red.

Jongdae closed his whirling eyes and took his time to recompose himself, looking over Baekhyun and reaching out to his comforting mana. Baekhyun was yet again like in his childhood, going through so much for something he had no control over. 

The Red Force must have been after him because of his exceptional abilities after all, they must be curious as to how Baekhyun managed to master all of those powers while he seemed like he couldn't keep up with it back in the time.

Jongdae leaned over and brushed Baekhyun's tattoo with careful fingers, his own eyelashes sparkling in the dim lighting while he transferred healing energy to his  _ kanae _ .

His mind drifted off to the two humans he sent back home. They must still be on their way now, and safe judging by the lack of emergency call.

Still keeping his fingertips on Baekhyun’s face, Jongdae leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. Soon they'd be home and have their answers.

Baekhyun woke up aching all over but sated, his mana flowing through his body and gently buzzing in his core. He opened his eyes to find Jongdae squeezed by his side on a lab bed, the chair by his side abandoned. 

_ Like always. _

His face brightened in a melancholic smile when the sight reminded him of childhood memories, where his  _ kanae _ would often come to visit him while he was too weak or sick, even if the facility was strictly forbidden unless they were expected there.

Jongdae always found a way to sneak in and keep him company, lying by his side after waiting for him to wake up for so long. The bed was too big for them at that time, the two small bodies barely taking place on the cold surface, but it didn't seem like it was the case now, with both of them nearly falling off from the sides. 

Baekhyun smiled and closed his eyes back, tapping his  _ kanae _ on the shoulder gently to wake him up. “Jongdae.” The other grumbled in his sleep, probably tired from waiting for him to wake up. “Wake up.”

When Jongdae made no move to open his eyes, Baekhyun’s lips stretched into a wicked smile and he shot up a light sparkle through his finger he held on his  _ kanae _ ´s cheek.

“Fuck- what the..”

Jongdae jolted up in panic with his eyes flashing wild shades and Baekhyun couldn’t hold his amused giggle at his lost face. His  _ kanae _ ’s expression contorted to a confused one to finally settle on relief when he took in the situation and finally sighed in relief. Baekhyun was so happy that he could finally feel his core back and use his mana freely, his happiness almost visibly radiating off his sparkly eyes. 

“Aww,” Jongdae cooed, pinching Baekhyun’s cheek in joy. “My sweet little  _ kanae _ is finally back.” He finally sat up and let Baekhyun some space to wiggle on the uncomfortable bed they were sharing.

“How long did I sleep?” Baekhyun asked, stretching his legs while looking up at Jongdae with curious eyes.

“Huh?” Jongdae looked lost again, his eyebrows furrowing while he thought for a moment. “I'm not sure.” A sheepish grin spread on his face as he scratched his neck. “I kinda slept the whole time with you.”

Baekhyun huffed out a loud laugh and slowly moved around to sit up too, coming up at eye level with Jongdae.

The hug came naturally for both of them, relief, happiness and strength spreading through their connection as they stayed in each other's embrace for a while, both aware that their little moment had to end sooner or later as they had a serious discussion waiting for them.

Jongdae refused to explain anything to Baekhyun before they both went to the latter’s place and ate, and only when Baekhyun came back to his senses a little did he let him breathe, watching color spreading back to his  _ kanae _ ’s face and his mana buzzing healthily under his skin again. 

But to no one's surprise, Baekhyun was insistent so their little dinner turned into a briefing session on both parts, Baekhyun explaining how he ended up on earth and Jondae explaining Red Force's entries to him, having read through every information over and over again and aware of every detail about the whole cloning process now.

“It seemed impossible to give a species that much mana, but he somehow managed to do it.” Jongdae explained. “The clones don’t have various sources of mana like you, but a great amount of a single one. They master it completely.”

Baekhyun was absent mindedly chewing his food, his eyes pensive as he finally swallowed his mouthful. Jongdae could feel his perturbed mana swirling in his core, the soft blues in his orbs reflecting the uneasiness he was feeling. 

Jongdae waited patiently, giving his  _ kanae  _ the time he needed to put his thoughts in order before telling him what was troubling him.

“I saw our clones.” Baekhyun simply said. He looked like he still had a hard time processing the fact. 

They both knew they had clones, but merely knowing a fact and seeing it face to face were two entirely different things.

“You and me.” Baekhyun sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. “I- I know they're not us, but still..” He ran his hands over his face, clearing his mind for a second before opening his mouth to continue. “They're powerful, Jongdae. Much more than us. Seeing a vile clone with your face.. I hated it.”

Jongdae heard the fear in Baekhyun’s voice, but Baekhyun was certainly not someone to be afraid of a strong opponent, no matter how advantageous they were or how they looked. So what was the reason behind his worry? 

“I saw Chanyeol too.”

Oh.

“This is so fucked up.” Jongdae sighed. Baekhyun sounded much more infatuated with the human than he thought.

“Actually.” He started. “There are a few more things I have to tell you.”

Baekhyun gave him a silent nod and watched him as Jongdae tried to find the easiest way to explain everything.

“I saw Red Force's diary of some sort, about their whole plan to create the superior species and all.” There wasn't anything unusual until there, everyone in Elyxion were taught about those as their history. But no one knew the whole truth. “We weren't the first subjects Aether experimented on.”

Baekhyun’s eyebrows furrowed and Jongdae suddenly didn't know how to explain everything to his  _ kanae _ without hurting him at the end.

“What?”

“Apparently, he thought going around and examining species one by one would slow down his project so he started experimenting without any research beforehand.”

The look of disgust mixed with anger formed a dark expression on Baekhyun's gentle features. “And?”

“He stumbled upon Chanyeol one day.”

“Chanyeol?”

“He wrote that he went to Earth to test humans, and then mentioned Chanyeol. I don’t know about the details but he mentioned a gift from him in exchange for his help to his project.”

After his initial horror, Baekhyun's face was blank as he processed everything, and Jongdae really tried to let everything out at once but he simply couldn't, drawing out his sentences.

“He gave Chanyeol a core filled with mana, just like that.”

Baekhyun's jaw clenched with a sharp exhale and his eyes turned into an icy glare. A furrow appeared between his eyebrows, hardening his soft features.

“But he didn't have mana in him. I could feel something similar to a core deep in him, but it wasn't mana, Jongdae. You must have felt it too.” Baekhyun’s voice was rising gradually with his frustration.

A brief moment of silence stretched between them, where Jongdae was giving Baekhyun some time to think and the latter mumbled potential scenarios to himself.

“Did he take it back out? No no no that could kill him.”

“Well.” Jongdae started. “Technically, putting one in him was supposed to kill him too, humans can't contain a core, let alone channel that amount of mana.

Baekhyun laughed in disbelief. “I can't believe that fucker really shoved a core in Chanyeol's gut.”

“Do you think Red Force took it back out to recreate a clone with it?” Jongdae wondered. “He was partly successful, after all. It was reported that Chanyeol could channel a small amount of mana.”

“But when could he have done that?”

Turning his gaze to his  _ kanae _ , Baekhyun saw Jongdae contemplating as if he couldn’t decide whether to speak or not. It only took him a convincing face for Jongdae to talk.

“You remember the time he was out traveling for who knows how long before he came back and then disappeared for good?” Jongdae asked, his voice unsure.

Baekhyun's eyes flashed blue in remembrance, getting what his  _ kanae _ was trying to get at. No one paid Red Force any attention when he was “traveling” to find new mana resources and expand his research.

“When he brought me Milky?” He asked.

It made sense, but could it be? Red Force brought Milky to Baekhyun from the Milky Way, hence the name, when he was still a child to mediate his mana.

“She wasn't of any use anymore where she was from. Suited for you, don't you think?” Jongdae asked.

Baekhyun had a hard time adapting to the kitten's radiating mana, the small mediator clearly meant for a fire or darker elemental energy while Baekhyun was known to mainly control light. 

After a long time of confusion and training period, he came to understand how to differentiate his unusual layered core's mana and Milky's one, the two sources somehow matching each other.

His  _ kanae _ ’s words took Baekhyun out of his memories and brought him back to the moment of revelation they were just experiencing.

“No one knew where he went or what he was doing out there. He must have taken the orb and Milky on the way, then came back and fled away for good with his wicked plans.”

Baekhyun heaved a deep sigh and slumped in his chair. “You're right, this is fucked up.”

They tried to digest all the information and possibilities they just had to go through, once again surrounded by silence. It was technically all their theories, but it was the only logical -albeit questionable- explanation to everything.

Baekhyun looked up to see Jongdae watching him in hesitance. “There's more?” He didn't mean to sigh it out, but Baekhyun knew Jongdae wasn’t taking his exasperation personally. The whole situation was frustrating, and they couldn’t be even sure with what they came up with.

“I’m not sure whether it’ll be better to tell you that or just let you see it yourself.”

Baekhyun stopped thinking and closed his eyes to rub his temples for a while. If only he could be surrounded by a pleasant warmth and sleep soundlessly.

He sighed and stopped his chain of thoughts. It wasn’t the time to think about  _ him _ .

“I don't think I can process anything more by myself, shoot.”

“I went through your medical files and found out that Aether knew all of your powers would be too much for you. But he kept giving you more mana over time.”

Baekhyun’s face darkened. He knew Aether was kinda ruthless with the way he trained and educated them, but could he be as cruel as that?

Well, he forced a core in Chanyeol without thinking about the endless amount of negative possibilities that could ensue, so overwhelming Baekhyun’s core shouldn’t be a big deal for him, right?

“I guess I was only an experiment for him, after all.” Baekhyun scoffed. “No wonder why he took care of me that much whenever I was sick, he must have been curious about the outcome.”

Baekhyun wasn’t personally attached to Aether either, but hearing that he was exploited all his life wasn’t the nicest revelation either.

He kept protecting his planet out of his duty sense until now, but it somehow felt useless now to protect a system that wasn’t even hesitating to harm a whole population for its own benefits.

“There were reports about your internal organs damaging, Baekhyun. Your body was giving up on you. All those times you spent at the facility were because of Aether.” Jongdae's voice was laced with worry, as if he could see Baekhyun as that sickly child back in the day.

Baekhyun thought of all the times he was in the lab as a kid crying for help and barely keeping it together, sometimes being sick to the point of vomiting blood or blacking out from the pain. At that time he was feeling as if he was getting destroyed from the inside. 

Ironic. He almost laughed at the absurdity.

“So he planned and created me out of his own greed, adding fucking new features like I'm some sort of device and watched my body destroying itself day by day?”

Jongdae reached between them and held his trembling hands, his comforting mana reaching Baekhyun’s core and satiating his mind.

The unmistakable need of a specific physical warmth in Baekhyun multiplied a thousand times, part of his mind shutting down to bring Chanyeol's images before his eyes as if that was his mind and body's own coping mechanism.

He shook his head to distract himself and squeezed his  _ kanae _ ’s hands in return, the mere presence of Jongdae keeping him sane and in security.

His mind was in a haze after trying to think too much in such a short time, so Baekhyun opted to stay still while holding onto Jongdae's hands, letting his core find solace with the familiar buzz of Jongdae's mana under his skin.

Three quick knocks on the door echoed in loudly and broke the silence, their heads shooting up to look at the door at the same time. It was late, dark inside without the lights on, not that they couldn't see properly without a proper source but still, Baekhyun wondered who it could be at this time.

He went to open his door to find Junmyeon in front of him, Jongdaes’s muffled steps approaching to turn the lights on first and check who their visitor was from behind his shoulder.

“Baekhyun, you're awake. It's good to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Junmyeon.” Baekhyun said truthfully. There weren’t many people he was fond of on this planet, but Junmyeon’s softhearted and caring nature made him a pleasant acquaintance. “What brings you so late?”

The other seemed to remember why he was here now, a not so pleasant expression painting his face before muttering his next words in visible discomfort. “Aether heard you woke up, he wants to see you.”

“Now?” It was Jongdae, an angered edge to his voice. Now surely wasn't the right time for any of them to see Aether at all.

“No, not now.” Junmyeon was quick to announce. “He wanted to see you first thing in the morning. He said it was urgent so I came to inform you personally.”

“Alright.” Baekhyun said. “We’ll go in the morning. Thank you for coming all the way.”

“No problem.”

Jongdae’s tense body pressing on Baekhyun’s back finally relaxed but the latter could feel his eyes boring holes on Junmyeon’s face, showcasing his bared hatred at the moment. 

Junmyeon averted his eyes from the intense gaze and stared at Baekhyun instead, patting his shoulder gently. “I'm glad you're safe, both of you.”

Baekhyun squeezed the hand on his shoulder in silent gratitude before giving Junmyeon a tired smile and feeling Jongdae doing the same despite his attitude seconds ago. Junmyeon was too much of a nice person for them to take their anger out on.

“I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Good night.”

Closing the door, Baekhyun pressed his fingers into his temples and frowned in pain. “I think my head’s going to explode. I need to sleep.”

Jongdae went to pour him a glass of water on their now abandoned dinner table, pushing it into his hands when Baekhyun leaned against the kitchen’s door frame.

“Here, drink this first.”

He waited until Baekhyun drank everything and took the empty glass to put it away, clearing the table while he was at it with his  _ kanae _ watching him by the door. He smiled at the sight.  _ Such a lost puppy. _

“Hey, I heard that.” Baekhyun whined. It felt good to hear his  _ kanae _ even though the other wasn’t speaking out loud.

“I know dumbass, I did it on purpose.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and pouted, his lips threatening to stretch into a smile.

“And I was right.” Jongdae teased him, leaving the dirty dishes for later.

“Shut up.” Baekhyun chuckled before his breathing deepened into a yawn. He needed to rest more.

“You want me to stay, or you wanna be alone?” Jongdae asked him, drying his wet hands on his pants and coming to face him.

Baekhyun felt the physical emptiness in him again, the loneliness hitting him full force even though he was with the most dear person to him, his  _ kanae _ . Jongdae must have felt his mixed emotions too, hence his question.

“I-” He trailed off. Deep down, he was feeling lonely and the feeling was morphing into guilt when Jongdae was around. He needed to sort his feelings out and stop eating himself over it in order to not ruin his every moment with his  _ kanae _ . “I think I need to be alone for a while.”

“Okay, I’ll come by tomorrow morning then.” Jongdae squeezed his arms gently and got ready to leave.

“Jongdae.” Baekhyun called out, trying to ignore the cold surrounding him at the loss of the comforting contact.

“Hm?”

“Come and give me a hug before you go.”

Jongdae's smile was a little shadowed by the concern lining his forehead, but Baekhyun saw his genuine care and affection, felt it calming his mana.

Jongdae wordlessly came to embrace him with a tight hug, the kind that put his broken pieces back and made him feel as a whole again.

Baekhyun missed this, missed his  _ kanae _ dearly. Nothing could come close to the simple presence of Jongdae by his side. Jongdae exhaled deeply and kissed him on his temple by standing on his tiptoes, brushing a fleeting thumb over his tattoo before retreating his hand back.

“Let’s get you to bed.” He ruffled Baekhyun’s soft hair and guided him to his bed with a familiar grip on his hand, tucking him in neatly before putting the lights out. 

Baekhyun felt sated and genuinely happy as he watched Jongdae leaving his room in the dark, closing his eyes and hearing the click of the front door a beat later.

He was alone now.

Baekhyun sighed, letting the feeling consume him, filling him and pouring out of his body, reaching out to hold on what he yearned the most and–

He abruptly cut it off. He shouldn't do that, not before making sure that Chanyeol was safe.

Chanyeol felt it, the sudden feeling hitting him full force. It was painful, the severity, and his heart constricted as he felt the person at the other end of it.

“Baekhyun.” He breathed out, a deep void expanding in his gut. His empty hand shot up and tried to chase the pain away, but the only thing he was able to focus on was the longing he felt so deep in any possible form. He tried to ease his mind but the feelings were too strong for him.

He didn’t hear anything directly, but he could swear it was Baekhyun. Baekhyun was lonely and he was reaching out to him and it was painful to feel it.

Then everything went away as abruptly as it came, leaving him as a disoriented mess on his couch, heaving around the lump in his chest and almost shattering the glass in his hand.

“Baekhyun.” He called out, trying to feel something again, but it was gone.

“Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol looked up at Kyungsoo, seeing his best friend through the blurriness in his eyes. Did he just imagine everything that happened?

He felt around his body, his heart still beating erratically in his chest, so loud Kyungsoo could probably hear it. His breathing was ragged, the ghost of the immense amount of pain still suffocating him.

“Baekhyun.” He said again, as if that would explain everything.

“Chanyeol, are you okay? Did something happen?”

“I- I felt him, Soo. He- he was here.”

Frustrated tears streamed out of his eyes as his best friend came to embrace him in his smaller form, reminding him too much of the cause of his pain.

He was feeling cold, yet no warmth could soothe him.

Chanyeol sobbed in Kyungsoo’s shoulder until the knot deep in his gut eased for a bit and all he could feel was a numbness surrounding him.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Kyungsoo asked with a soothing voice, not pushing him despite Chanyeol seeing the obvious concern in his eyes.

“I felt pain.” Chanyeol started, rushing to reassure his best friend upon seeing his worried look. “Not mine. I mean, it wasn't physical.”

Except it felt exactly like it.

“I felt Baekhyun, and.. he was so lonely that it was painful.”

Then another realization hit him. He was trying to stay away from the thought, but the possibility was always there at the back of his head. “Oh my god, he's alive, Soo.”

Relief washed over him, and Chanyeol stood frozen in his seat, not sure about what to think first.

“What are you going to do?” Kyungsoo asked.

One thing was for sure.

“I need to see him again.”

Chanyeol squeezed the glass in his hand, the red clouds behind his eyelids materializing in the clear glass and matching the erratic rhythm of his heart. His eyes widened in realization, could it really be it?

“Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo's calls fell on deaf ears as the gears turned around in Chanyeol's head, his heartbeat picking up again.

Red clouds were swirling before his eyes, and they seemed to call out to him, match his heartbeat and compel him to feel them closer.

Chanyeol wordlessly drew his hand over his head and smashed the glass on the floor, distantly hearing Kyungsoo's gasp and watching as the haze of clouds dissipated in front of him, reaching out to feel him.

Everything was red and burning, and Chanyeol couldn’t do anything else than scream in the pain that consumed him. An intense pressure seeped in his senses and filled him to the brim, flowing and burning around every fiber of his body before settling deep inside his gut,  _ where it belonged _ .

Chanyeol’s lips faintly pulled up into a smile before everything turned black.

Baekhyun was really glad to have Jongdae by his side while going to their impromptu meeting the next morning. He didn't think he could do it alone, to keep it together without feeling the satiating presence of his  _ kanae _ right by his side as they were waiting to be called in.

Junmyeon came out and nodded at them both to announce that they were to go in, Jongdae’s firm hold on his hand showing Baekhyun that his hand was shaking slightly by his side. He took a deep breath, balled his fingers into tight fists and let himself fall back in the comforting waves of his  _ kanae _ 's feelings.

Nothing ever changed in Aether´s room, nothing was out of place but everything felt so different this time, so wrong. Baekhyun definitely wasn't a stranger to this place nor the old man, but he couldn't stop but feel uneasy right now, like he was going on a quest without a proper plan and not knowing what he was getting himself into.

"I see you're in a good condition."

Baekhyun nearly flinched at Aether's voice, a strong sense of disgust brewing deep in his gut. He brought his hands together in front of himself to subtly lay a hand over his stomach, feeling for his core, uneven waves of soft mana pulsing under his hands. He hoped it didn't show on his tattoo. Losing his composure was the last thing he wanted to do in front of the old man.

He nodded firmly, locking eyes with the man for the first time since they came in and suppressing himself from showing how much repulsion he was feeling right then. One of Jongdae's hands came to stay at the small of his back, at level with his core. His mana’s reaction was immediate as Baekhyun once again felt less lost and composed with a comfortable source of strength right by his side.

"I wanna hear both of your reports before having them in my hands." Aether's eyes roamed over the inseparable duo, the gray of his eyes putting Baekhyun off.

Jongdae started explaining while Baekhyun was busy watching the man, thoughts of Chanyeol and all the people he probably hurt or even killed filling his mind and resulting in him to lean back against Jongdae's hand on his back.

"-d you get in contact with your  _ kanae _ ?" Baekhyun felt uncomfortable with the question directed at him, the simple fact that he had to talk to the man putting him off.

"With the help or a human." He answered, his eyes fixed on Aether's disturbing gaze. A simple arch of an eyebrow was the only thing he got back, prompting him to go further with his explanation.

"I could feel Jongdae when I was in close proximity with a specific human, so I went to ask for his help to do it again."

Aether's face wasn't the brightest and Baekhyun tried to stop himself from thinking it was because he didn't like the way he handled things. Baekhyun was supposed to be the superior species, not to ask for a mere human's help.

"I don't see how that could be possible."

"It wasn't." Baekhyun shrugged. "It turned out to be my mediator who was nearby."

He tried to ignore the unimpressed stare he got and added, unable to keep the snark out of his voice. "Who also happens to be the human's mediator."

Nothing unfamiliar flashed on the old man’s face, only a second of brief confusion where he tried to figure out what Baekhyun meant.

"I see you've found out about the human." He merely acknowledged his words.

Anger boiled in Baekhyun at the lack of remorse in Aether’s voice. He just stated it out as if it was a completely normal thing to do. As if it was a common thing to give humans direct sources of mana, knowing very well they weren’t suitable for it.

"We came upon Red Force’s entries at Rf-05." Jongdae explained.

"Ah right, that man always liked to write everything down."

He wasn't even defending himself, not an ounce of guilt. Baekhyun fumed as Aether looked over him as if challenging him to lose his composure. He balled his hands into fists and tried to repress his urges with the hand on his back rubbing comforting circles to calm him down.

"I presume you also found your own files."

Baekhyun stayed silent, his tattoo buzzing with all the energy he tried to keep. With everything he tried to keep in at once.

"Is that why you're losing composure? You're not focused on your report at all."

That made Baekhyun snap. Chanyeol didn't deserve that man's cruelty. To go through everything he went through because of this man's insatiable greed.

"You went and shoved a core in a human." He spat, breathing through his nose.

"I needed to try didn't I? Researches and theories aren't the fastest."

"He was a  _ baby _ ." Baekhyun’s voice didn't raise but the emphasis was strong, all his hatred seeping between his clenched teeth.

"He was a mere human, that's not a reason for that behavior you're sporting." Aether reprimanded him.

Of course he wouldn't care. Why would he care now if he didn't hesitate to do it in the past. Morals didn't exist for Aether, aside for his agenda about them being the superior kind.

Something in Baekhyun snapped as if the last straw somehow keeping him together disappeared and threatened him to lose it all together, to crumble down. He could feel Jongdae's distress beside him, the way he tried to hold on for the both of them.

"You failed, but proceeded with your plans to put much more in me. Were you ready to go as far as killing me to realize it was too much?” Baekhyun swallowed, trying to keep his voice from breaking into a pathetic sob. “Were my deteriorating organs not enough?"

"A mere human could contain a core, so why wouldn't you have more than that?” Aether said. As if to edge Baekhyun further over the tip, a smirk stretched over his lips. “I needed to explore my limits didn't I? It's not like I failed with your process, after all."

" _ Baekhyun? _ "

Baekhyun flinched back with Chanyeol's small worried voice filling his mind, the worry of the human distracting him from his crisis.

He did it again. Got too careless and let the human be affected with his own problems.

"I feel him." He simply said, trying to keep his emotions in check after pushing the voice he longing he felt out of his whole being, blocking the way.

A little more.

Explanations weren't needed, both Jongdae and Aether understood what Baekhyun meant simply by those three words. While Jongdae was surprised, his features displaying his curiosity, the old man only pursed his lips in concentration and explained in an uninterested voice.

"That cat of yours should be around him, so your little human can reach out to you using his connection with both of you."

The disgust in his voice was so palpable that Baekhyun's insides burned with rage once again. But the man wasn't fazed the least by his blatant showcase of his hatred, simply continuing his speech.

"He should be able to control it to some extent with training, but that doesn't seem to be the case in his situation. He isn't in possession of his orb nor does he have any basic training. Your mediator’s mana is the sole reason he can reach out to you."

It seemed like the conversation about Chanyeol wasn't even relevant to Aether and he showed how unimportant it was for him with a flick of his wrist and turning his attention back on Jongdae.

"You're staying here to explain details about what you saw in that facility."

His gaze turned sharp and his voice laced with that commanding tone he often used on them, fixing his eyes on Baekhyun and looking over his slightly trembling form. His annoyance was evident with the way he calmly stated out.

"You are dismissed, you're clearly in a weak state. Go rest and write a detailed report while doing so."

The bitter feeling grew thicker in Baekhyun but he managed to repress it with the last bit of energy left in him.

Of course, Aether’s authority wasn't to be questioned, this was the way he managed to stay as the top figure in their messed up society, with firm restrictions and severe punitive measures in any form or case of disrespect.

Baekhyun and Jongdae were both familiar with harsh methods, both being aces. Yet even the fact thay they were probably the most valued persons on their planet wasn't enough for them to rebel in any way, the barest insubordination resulting with strict consequences. They were much more disciplined than anyone, having gone through the severest punishments over the years. 

So no matter how enraged or repelled he was, Baekhyun knew deep down that disobeying was a bad idea. He bowed his head in a silent nod and wordlessly grabbed Jongdae´s hand to squeeze it in a form of comfort, his core content with the briefest contact.

He left the suffocating room in quick steps as his  _ kanae _ once again started explaining and stopped once he closed the doors behind himself, scoffing in disbelief at the events.

Writing a report, so much for resting. 

"Chanyeol.."

Kyungsoo's voice sounded exasperated, helping his best friend up for the umpteenth time that day while the latter groaned in pain.

"I think you should sto-" One determined look combined with Chanyeol's loud grump was enough for him to rephrase his suggestion. "At least go easy on yourself, you're only hurting yourself being stubborn like this."

"I'm okay." A loud cough wheezed out Chanyeol's chest, his lungs protesting and squeezing painfully to get some air instead of the stuffy feeling of smoke filling them. "I just- I think I got it this time."

"You didn't get shit Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo deadpanned. 

“The only thing you did was trying to burn your kitchen down. Thrice." He stopped Chanyeol while pushing a glass of water in his hands, exhaling a tired sigh before adding. "And I'd like to live a little longer, thank you."

Gulping down the water aggressively to quench his thirst, Chanyeol felt an exhausting weight settling on his shoulders and causing him to slouch. He got up and turned around to drag his feet toward his living room.

Kyungsoo was right, he needed to stop and think for a while. Maybe he could find out how to-

"Ow shit- what the fuck is that?"

The soft lump under his large foot was replaced by stinging pain around a calf, the small.. thing latching on his leg painfully as he frantically tried to shake it away.

"What's happen- the hell are you doing, Yeol?"

Kyungsoo crouched down even before an imbalanced Chanyeol could fall down on his behind rather harshly, groaning at the added pain with his eyes squeezed shut. He just wanted to rest goddammit.

"It's okay little bub, you're okay."

Oh right. Chanyeol finally opened his eyes to look at what Kyungsoo was talking to instead of him. A small lump of white was in his best friend's delicate hands, curled around itself in a very tiny ball of silky fur.

Chanyeol's heart softened immediately at the sight. Animals were his weakness. Especially hurt ones. He must have stepped on its tail for a painful scratch like that. He was about to coo and pet it too, but a more important question popped in his mind.

"Wait wait wait a second, how the hell this entered my apartment?"

Kyungsoo's eyebrows were furrowed in disapproval, chastising him in a much softer voice than he usually did. "Will you lower your voice for a second? You're only scaring her more."

While Chanyeol finally shut his mouth and started examining his now bruised calf, huffing at the deep red scratches while silently groaning in pain, Kyungsoo beamed happily at the kitten in his hands, petting it slowly with careful movements.

"Aww you're so cute, little one. How did you get in here, huh?"

Chanyeol lifted his head at the exact moment the fluffy kitten turned her head in his direction, heat crawling under his skin and buzzing through his veins rhythmically as he saw two azure eyes watching him, soft hues of blue dancing around the small orbs. 

"Milky?"

"Ugh I'm so dead, please don't ever let me alone with Aether again." 

Jongdae groaned loudly as he settled on Baekhyun's couch, rubbing his temples to ease some of the tension away. His tattoo glowed faintly upon finally being close to his  _ kanae _ , his irises slowly swirling in their usual pace.

Baekhyun came closer to him to feel his satiating presence better, hugging one of his arms to himself like he always did. Physical contact had always been as natural as it could be between the two of them, their sole existences essential to keep their cores and mana at bay.

"What happened?"

It was way too late in the afternoon, long hours since Baekhyun left his  _ kanae _ in Aether's room and came back to his apartment, calming himself down and writing his report, getting frustrated every now and then and trying to busy himself around to no avail.

He knew Jongdae probably felt him at times because he couldn't keep it to himself, physically needing his  _ kanae _ to calm himself down. He kinda felt apologetic for that, though. Jongdae was already having a not so pleasant time and adding to that wasn't probably the best thing to do.

"Aether arranged a meeting on the spot when I reported him everything about Red Force, and you know how Junmyeon can get when it comes to attacking in general, he totally lost his mind and we're basically going to war."

Despite his serious words and explanation, Jongdae whined and leaned his head back, burying his face in Baekhyun's soft hair as the latter played with his fingers.

War wasn't a big word for both of them, attacking or defending their planet was something they did daily, and with the way things were usually going around them, it usually ended up in rather cruel situations.

War just meant Junmyeon and more of their people on their side while they fought the enemy. It was the same duty on a bigger scale.

The Red Force wasn’t an easy opponent though, and even without actively participating in the meeting, Baekhyun knew they’d spend a long time with plans and strategies to bring down the clones. They were extremely powerful and nobody knew how skilled they actually were, so they had to be careful.

"When?"

"Not sure.” Jongdae stretched his legs, humming at Baekhyun’s comforting touch. “Junmyeon said it could take him a week or two. Too many of his troops are in duty right now so he'll have to get them all together and train and plan his strategy  _ and _ everything else I don't care about. I'm not the general of an army for fuck's sake, why did I have to sit through all of that boring shit?"

Baekhyun chuckled lightly and leaned further against Jongdae's side, trying not to think about all the time he has been trapped here to train and plan for a battle. His gut squeezed as he longed for some peace, on another planet with the only person he couldn't get out of his mind no matter what.

He had to stop himself. 

Reaching out for Chanyeol would only be dangerous for the human, and Baekhyun could do nothing but hope that the Red Force wouldn't try to approach him now that Baekhyun wasn't there to protect him.

"He's going to be okay."

Jongdae's voice was soft and soothing as always, and although his core felt complete and at ease with his  _ kanae _ right by his side, Baekhyun still felt the hollow expanding in his chest.

"We'll be okay, I'll make sure of it."

_ "What's it like?" _

_ Chanyeol was mindlessly running his hand up and down Baekhyun's middle, tangling their bodies further to feel his coolness on his own skin. Sleepy cuddles were definitely the best. Baekhyun kept silent for a while, the silence worrying Chanyeol that he might have hurt the other. He knew it was hard for Baekhyun to go around without his mana, it showed even in his little, mindless actions. _

_ Baekhyun's frail finger threaded through Chanyeol's as he kept his gentle caress, the skin oddly sensitive from the way Baekhyun squirmed when he rubbed across the skin firmly. _

_ Baekhyun was touchy in general and Chanyeol got used to that to some extent, but there were nights where the alien was extremely needy when it came to physical affection, as if he was trying to fill an emptiness deep inside. _

_ One that Chanyeol couldn’t fill. _

_ "It's... a different feeling." Baekhyun started slowly, stopping for a beat to find the right words to explain himself. _

_ “It’s not just something inside me. It- it  _ is _ me. You can’t know how grounding it is until you can properly contain it, and once you do, it becomes the part of you that calms you down when you can’t and fuel you when you need to.” _

_ Baekhyun turned around in Chanyeol's firm embrace, giving his hand a squeeze and looking up in his eyes, blinking around the softest shades of blue in his eyes. _

_ “It’s everything I know and have. I spent half of my life trying to get used to it and the other half relying on it, it’s part of me now. I don’t have to control it or try to contain it, it just knows what I want or need and acts on it.” _

_ Colors danced in an agitated swirl in his irises, the sight strangely beautiful even though Chanyeol could feel sadness oozing out from them. _

_ “I don’t know what to do without it, I- I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.” Baekhyun stopped once more, contemplating silently. His voice was much smaller when he continued, Chanyeol's heart squeezing with his every word. “I feel so empty, Chanyeol. I can’t explain how devastating it is when I reach out to feel my core but find nothing in there. They- they  _ ripped _ it out of me.” He swallowed.  _

_ "I'm sorry you had to go through this Baekhyun. It.. it breaks my heart to see you hurting alone, without your mana." _

_ Baekhyun's smile was plainly devastating, sad curls plastered at the corner of his soft lips, his eyes and tattoo barely glowing with heavy feelings. _

_ He reached up to gently cup Chanyeol's cheek in a soft palm, angling his head to look directly in his eyes. Chanyeol felt nothing but warmth even though Baekhyun's hand was cool. _

_ "I don’t feel so empty when I’m with you." _

_ His voice wasn't above a whisper as he spoke against Chanyeol's skin, letting out a shaky breath before pressing his forehead to Chanyeol’s jaw and getting lost in his sorrow. _

"I think we should go back home, it's getting dark and I don't have good memories about this place." Kyungsoo fumbled with his pack of cigarettes, bored after hours of nothing and his frustrated friend.

Chanyeol huffed loudly, his frustration turning into anger each time his efforts turned to waste. "How am I supposed not to force it when it won't even come out?"

"Maybe it'll kick in like a survival instinct or whatever."

Kyungsoo shrugged, gently placing the sleeping kitten on his lap to get his lighter from his pocket, the little ball of fluff opening his eyes briefly only to get comfortable again and continuing to sleep, absolutely disinterested about the two friends' hopeless state.

Chanyeol's annoyance grew even more with the little kitty's nonchalance, as if it was her job to guide him. He still approached her to pet her nonetheless. She was too cute to be angry at, her little blue eyes charming Chanyeol and making him unable to resist the urge to pet her constantly. She must have taken after her owner, after all.

"You're not helping me at all, Milky.” He chastised the sleeping kitten, watching her as she lazily opened her azure eyes and simply scratched him in a quick movement before he could even process what was happening.

"Ow what-"

"Fuck."

Chanyeol jerked his hand back as Kyungsoo cursed loudly, throwing his lighter away and examining his cigarette in his hand in fascination.

"Chanyeol," he started, grabbing his friend's attention before showing him the totally burnt stick in his hand. "I think you just did something."

"Chanyeol.." Kyungsoo sighed. 

That was something he did more nowadays, whenever Chanyeol tried to come with a suggestion, which ensued with his best friend trying to persuade him to no avail. But Chanyeol was known to be annoyingly stubborn, not getting disheartened no matter how many times Kyungsoo stopped him from any kind of impulsive acts.

"I know you're not the brightest when it comes to brilliant solutions-"

The slightest curl at the corner of Kyungsoo's mouth was enough indication that he was teasing Chanyeol, and if Chanyeol had to be honest, his best friend's teasing remarks were welcomed even though he would never admit it out loud. 

The only reason he wasn't in shambles was because Kyungsoo was around him 24/7 nowadays, making sure he was wasn't drowning in his emotions or doing anything stupid that would likely end up with him getting killed.

He huffed into a pout, causing Kyungsoo's little smirk to get more pronounced, continuing his remarks nonetheless with a pleased glint in his eyes at his reaction.

"-but that's the stupidest idea you've came up with so far."

Chanyeol tried to deepen his pout as if Kyungsoo would be swayed by that, putting on his most convincing look. Milky was curled into a small ball right beside him while he pet him occasionally, and Chanyeol briefly thought even the little cat would judge him for the expression he was sporting.

He cocked his head sideways for further emphasis, which earned him half a slap on his face and an unbelieving Kyungsoo.

"Chanyeol we're not fucking  _ aliens _ , what do you even plan on doing back there?"

"I don't know.” He whined, rubbing at the spot Kyungsoo hit him. “I'll improvise."

Kyungsoo stopped his scoff to roll his eyes almost aggressively, letting out a deep tired sigh. Chanyeol knew he wasn't making much sense, but he couldn't think of anything else to reach Baekhyun. The only thing he knew for sure was the fact that he couldn't keep on going like this.

Even though Jongdae told Kyungsoo that they could reach him through the spaceship’s system, their attempts were all futile for an unknown reason.

The last few days have been filled with new experiences that managed to busy Chanyeol, but no matter how distracted he was, Baekhyun’s absence had a big impact on him, like an itch he couldn't satisfy or a full night's sleep that left him even more sleepier in the morning. It just didn’t feel right.

"You can't improvise shit when we can't even breathe there. Let me kindly remind you that our lungs work with oxygen, in case you forgot about that fact, not with their dirty stuff on that freaky planet."

Kyungsoo's agitated movements showcased his frustration, his hands stopping to rub at his temples to ease the ache he felt away before reaching for his pack of cigarettes.

"We can use oxygen tanks?" Chanyeol tried again, slightly afraid of Kyungsoo tossing his lighter at his head. It happened before, as anything was ready to become a weapon once in Kyungsoo's hands.

"That's not how it wor-" Kyungsoo stopped himself to sigh and shake his head. He was already losing his interest in the conversation. He stood up to go out on Chanyeol's little balcony for a smoke.

"Besides, we've already been there once, we know what's it like, we can go again." Chanyeol was still hopeful as he got up and followed him, trying to persuade his friend who finally turned to look at him, an unlit stick ready between his lips and an unbelieving look in his eyes. 

Chanyeol tried again in a smaller voice. "Just to check, nothing more."

Kyungsoo closed his eyes and heaved a dramatically long sigh, taking the cigarette in a hand to speak exasperatedly while shaking his head as if trying to stop himself. Chanyeol knew he was about to give in.

"Oh my fucking God, the things I do for you Chanyeol. I can't believe I'm letting you talk me into going to fucking space and creepy alien planets filled with evil clones more powerful than anything we've ever seen."

Chanyeol's gaze lit up, not caring about anything but the hint of agreement in his friend's long sentence. He grabbed both of his shoulders, his hold tight to make sure he wasn't imagining everything happening.

"That means we'll do it right?"

"Yes Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo huffed. “Though that rather means we're going to get killed one way or another, but yeah, let's do it."

“Are we going diving?”

It turned out that Chanyeol was serious when he told Kyungsoo they could use oxygen tanks when the package arrived, three large tanks with masks and other diving necessities in the box.

Kyungsoo’s face looked genuinely curious as he was looking at Chanyeol. He only agreed to his friend's request to go for a quick check on the spooky planet, hoping they could get away with the security mode on Jongdae's ship that was supposed to render them somehow invisible. He still doubted its efficacy and suspected that the clones might have a system that could track it.

He had been examining the ship since they had decided to go, trying to find his way around the upgraded technology. 

Going to Rf-05 shouldn't be a big problem since that was the last place they had been to and Kyungsoo luckily saw Jongdae kicking the autopilot mode in, trying to remember and replicate the steps by himself. 

Finding his way around inside the ship was easier for Kyungsoo than expected, his previous efforts at repairing Baekhyun’s wreck with both him and Jongdae coming in handy.

The only thing bothering him was the communication system that had been deactivated by Jongdae himself, all of Kyungsoo's attempts at fixing it going to waste. 

Technically, he didn’t have to fix it since it wasn’t broken in the first place, it just seemed like Jongdae turned something off on purpose and Kyungsoo couldn’t find what it was and activate it back to get in touch with the alien duo.

“Do you have a better idea about how we can breathe without oxygen?” Chanyeol asked back.

“This is such a bad idea.” Kyungsoo groaned, picking up a snorkel from the box and swinging it toward his friend.

Chanyeol caught it to put it back in the box, letting an awkward laugh at the absurdity of their situation. “Yeah but it’s our only option.”

Kyungsoo didn’t comment.

“Alright, I’ll call Yoora and tell her I won’t be going home this weekend as well.” Chanyeol said, reaching for his phone. “Should I also take a week off of work just in case?” He wondered aloud. “It can get weird with the time difference stuff, last time was enough.”

Kyungsoo seemed pensive as well as Chanyeol dialed Yoora’s number instead of searching her name in his favorite contacts list, waiting for her to pick up with jutting lips.

His sister was the best when it came to save his ass, as Chanyeol's mother was missing him a little too much and was waiting for him to visit whenever he had the time. He hadn’t been going home for quite a time now, ever since Baekhyun entered his life.

“Do you have actual plans for the weekend?” Yoora asked, a teasing tint to her voice. “Or are you just too lazy to drive all the way home?”

“I’ll.. hang out with friends.” Chanyeol winced internally and watched Kyungsoo’s judging stare directed at him.

“You mean Kyungsoo.” She deadpanned. “Your only friend.” Chanyeol's whole family was familiar with Kyungsoo who visited them on holidays sometimes, also well aware that Chanyeol didn't have a large circle of close friends.

“I mean Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol confirmed, before adding. “And uh.. Jongdae and Baekhyun.”

He didn’t know why he added it, maybe because Yoora was clearly not believing him having more than one friend, even though she wasn’t judging him for it. Chanyeol didn’t have much time to make friends as a kid and it kinda stuck with him. He was comfortable being with himself.

Yoora’s entertained laugh diverted his attention from the alien, confusion taking over his mind. “Why?”

Did he say something weird?

“Chanyeol.” His sister chuckled again. “Did you think I wouldn’t remember your imaginary friend's name?”

“My what?”

Memories flashed before his eyes, but there were too many of them at once and they felt too far away for Chanyeol to grab onto one of them and remember exactly, but he felt like remembering one particular name among them. 

_ Baekhyun _ .

He didn’t know if he was imagining it or if they were real memories, forgotten ones from a time he wasn’t really fond of remembering, but he recognized the name.

Yoora’s voice pulled him out of his sudden trance, still frozen on his couch. “-anyways, it’s okay if you're not going. I’ll tell mom you won’t make it so don’t worry about it and have fun!”

“Thank you.” Chanyeol managed to get out. His mind was a total mess and it was suddenly hard to focus on reality.

“Love you Yeol, take care and say hi to Kyungsoo.”

Chanyeol hummed and hung up. He needed some coffee.

Traveling on a spacecraft wasn’t physically uncomfortable for Chanyeol, but the experience was still terrifying.

Stars were pretty when they were up in the sky and Chanyeol could watch them through his cheap telescope, not when he felt like they were about to somehow crush into one.

He was having serious second thoughts as they approached the wormhole that made their trajectory dramatically shorter, as if Chanyeol was simply driving home on a Friday night.

Kyungsoo seemed like he knew what he was doing and awfully lost at the same time in front of the messy control panel, probably reconsidering his choices in life too.

It was now their third time experiencing the beautiful yet terrifying journey, the immense shiny sphere in the distance showing them distorted images of galaxies that were probably further than Chanyeol could even think about.

He closed his eyes when they were right in front of it, unconsciously waiting for the impact that never came. Everything felt like the same even though they entered some sort of giant space tunnel, distorted versions of the same views circling them.

“How long do you think we have left?” Chanyeol asked Kyungsoo, who seemed a little too enthusiastic about the scenery.

“I have no idea how time works here.” Kyungsoo said, and then they both burst into laughter.

Seriously, he had no idea what the hell they were doing.

Going past the wards felt like colliding against an invisible wall, the autopilot system nowhere near Jongdae's smooth skills.

Kyungsoo was the one to break the awkward silence when they finally landed in the middle of nowhere, reminding Chanyeol that they really came to the cursed planet once more.

“So,” Kyungsoo trailed off. “What do we do now?”

They eyed the oxygen tanks strapped to the wall behind their seats, both of them sighing and thinking how stupid it looked.

Chanyeol was trying to ignore the pulling sensation deep in his gut but it felt as the feeling was multiplying by the second, leaving him uncomfortable and fidgety in his seat. He needed to get out.

“Where are you going?” Kyungsoo stopped him as he was about to wordlessly leave the main flight deck and get out of the ship, trying to shake some sense in him.

“I need to go out.” He felt in a daze, trying to step around his best friend.

“You can’t just go out like this, Chanyeol. We’re on Rf-05.”

Kyungsoo’s hands were firm against his chest, effectively stopping him from going further. Chanyeol nodded to him, his mind still fuzzy with the way he felt like getting dragged toward something he didn’t even know.

“Okay.” Kyungsoo seemed hesitant before taking his hands off. “Let me bring you one of those tanks.”

Chanyeol watched his friend go back to the main deck, trying to stay put but failing miserably. His feet worked on their own as they took him backwards, leading him to the door.

Neither Jongdae or Baekhyun needed an airlock on their ship, so there was no way for the humans to equalize the pressure levels in and out of it, which could be incredibly dangerous.

Trusting their oxygen tanks to come to Rf-05 was the stupidest idea Chanyeol ever had, but he couldn’t think about that right now.

His mind was blank as he went to the door and opened it, stepping out in the stale air surrounding the ominous planet and barely thinking about closing the door behind himself.

A moment of confusion had him looking back to the ship, his eyes widening in horror as he remembered his best friend still inside.

Chanyeol turned back despite the eerie sensation filling him back, looking for Kyungsoo inside as if he could have disappeared.

“Soo.”

“Chanyeol, what the hell?” Kyungsoo nearly screamed in frustration. Chanyeol could see that his hands were shaking. “Seriously, what were you even thinking?”

“I wasn’t- I..” Chanyeol thought about the inevitable pull he felt and tried to describe it, but he simply couldn’t find the right words. “I need to go, I think there's something- someone calling for me.”

“Do you even realize how that sounds?” Kyungsoo huffed.

“I know it sounds dumb-” Chanyeol started, only to get cut off.

“It’s not only dumb, Yeol. It’s dangerous. We have no idea what's out there, and even Jongdae had a hard time to get Baekhyun out.” Kyungsoo sighed in defeat. ”We can’t do anything without them, unless you want the both of us dead on a nasty planet.”

“What if it’s Baekhyun calling me?” Chanyeol said.

That was a lie.

Feeling Baekhyun had been easy and comforting, even if it was a lot to handle. But the strong pull he just felt was downright terrifying, like an invisible force dragging him from his gut.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Kyungsoo huffed. “We should have waited until we got in touch with Jongdae.”

“I’ll just check the surroundings real quick.” Chanyeol tried again, a hopeful look on his face. “I can breathe just fine outside, so let me go and see if Baekhyun is around.”

Kyungsoo pursed his lips in defeat, and Chanyeol knew he was about to give in. “I promise I’ll be quick.”

“Alright.” Kyungsoo sighed, turning around. “Wait here for a minute.”

He didn’t go back though. Chanyeol watched him and saw the fear plastered on his features. He raised his pinky and made a move to lock it around an imaginary one, a comforting smile on his face.

“I won’t go, promise.”

Kyungsoo was quick to go and come back with a little device, pushing it in Chanyeol’s hands.

“What’s that?” Chanyeol asked.

“I don’t know.” Kyungsoo said. “But knowing Jongdae, it’s surely traceable. Keep it on you.”

Chanyeol patted his friend on the shoulder before sliding the small device in his pocket. It didn’t ease Kyungsoo’s worries, but at least he had something to hold on now. He would surely busy himself with trying to track whatever device he gave to Chanyeol.

“Take care.”

“I will.”

Chanyeol got out and Kyungsoo rushed back to the control panel, turning the system on and trying to connect it to the device he gave to Chanyeol.

He checked the communication system while he was at it, trying to reach out to Jongdae. That was their last chance.

Milky, who was sleeping peacefully all this time on the vacant seat, came to paw against his leg and then jumped on his lap, purring to be pet.

“I can't do it.” Kyungsoo groaned, causing the little kitten to look up at him in curiosity. “Come on, help me to contact them.”

Milky jumped on the panel in a quick movement while Kyungsoo watched her with an anxious gaze, afraid that she would mess up with something major. But as her paws pressed around the endless buttons, her eyes glowing a clear shade of blue, Kyungsoo saw a new system whirring to life on a side screen.

“Oh my god, you're awesome!” Kyungsoo pet her silky fur with soothing hands, trying to find his way around the complicated system and get in touch with the aliens.

Chanyeol kept walking towards where the invisible pull dragged him, the prickling sensation crawling across his skin intensifying with every step he took.

The air was so stuffy and there was absolutely nothing around him, dry lands and small hills covering the grounds with a gloomy sky stretched above. The only thing that kept him going further was the weird feeling, and Chanyeol honestly doubted it would lead him to something good.

Speaking of. Chanyeol halted when he saw a figure in the distance, a tall silhouette looking eerily like himself, an invisible but almost palpable dark aura surrounding him.

Was that his clone?

It was too late to turn around and run away now as Chanyeol locked eyes with his clone, their striking resemblance causing a thrill running up his spine.

“I knew it would eventually find you.” His voice sounded even deeper than Chanyeol's, looking at him with a satisfied glint in his eyes.

What was he talking about?

“Your orb.” He clarified. When Chanyeol’s expression didn’t shift from a blank surprise, his clone’s eyebrow raised in wonder. “What? You really thought that you found it randomly?” He scoffed. “It was yours from the beginning.”

“Wh- what are you talking about?” Chanyeol managed to get out. He felt lost and lured in a trap, in which he stepped with his own two feet.

He definitely did feel a weird sense of familiarity when he found the shiny sphere on their latest visit, and even though it was painful and creepy when he first broke it and suffocated with the smoky feeling in himself, it didn’t feel foreign to him.

“You really don’t know anything, do you?”

Coming here was a bad idea.

Chanyeol had no idea how he could manage to get himself out of this. He was feeling sickly with the threatening energy he felt in his whole body, now hitting him even worse than before with his clone right in front of himself.

“I was the one who guided your orb back to you when you came to save your precious friend.” His clone explained.

_ Back to you? _

“How did you know I was here?” Chanyeol asked.

Jongdae had sent them back before anyone could get to them, so Chanyeol thought no one actually found out about their presence on the planet the last time they were there.

“I felt you.” He only shrugged. “I was created with your mana after all.”

Chanyeol had no idea why the threatening alien was talking to him as if he was one of them since the beginning. He didn’t even know about their existence since recently.

“That light wielder should have told you more.” The alien’s face darkened with annoyance.

Chanyeol's heart ached when he thought about Baekhyun, getting pulled out of it as he felt a sudden shift in himself, looking up to see flames rising from his clone’s fingertips.

The pull. It was his clone all along.

“I see you're starting to get the hang of it.”

His hand instinctively holding onto his middle didn’t get unnoticed by his clone, who threw his head back to laugh humorlessly. Chanyeol watched his gaze hardening and a violent tug in his gut following it.

“That’s right, I’m using  _ your _ mana.”

Chanyeol had too many questions to ask, but not the mind to actually ask any of them. He really had mana in himself. How could that even happen? Did Baekhyun know about it?

He was so lost, his gaze fixed on the flames growing in front of him and sucking his soul away from his body.

“You were granted with a core and mana even though you’re nothing but a pathetic human.” The clone spat, the flames trembling in his hands. His mismatched eyes were unnerving Chanyeol. “Red Force made the right decision with taking it back and creating me with it instead.”

Chanyeol doubted he could ever forget having experienced something as important and impactful as receiving supernatural powers, but something must have happened at some time since his body could adapt to it that easily.

He recalled Baekhyun telling him how much trouble he had while maintaining it or using it, so it made sense that Chanyeol was somehow involved with these aliens earlier on in his life.

“Why did you give it back to me?” He asked.

Why all the fuss? Wasn’t his clone happy with his mana and powers all this time? Why did he have to drag Chanyeol into this?

“I didn't give it back to you. I only unreleased it and it came to find you since it recognizes you as its owner.”

Chanyeol wanted to ask if that was really jealousy he was hearing in those words, but he doubted it would be a wise decision and thought against it.

“Now let me see if you’re worth it.”

Chanyeol couldn’t even grasp the words as he witnessed the clone’s gaze shifting. He didn’t even understand what was happening until a searing ring of mana crashed square on his chest and sent him flying backwards.

The sudden force flung Baekhyun back and disoriented him, causing him to reach out for his  _ kanae _ in shock.

“ _ Something is happening to Chanyeol, I felt a different shift in his mana _ .”

He was already going out to meet Jongdae, stopping in his tracks when he heard his  _ kanae _ ’s equally concerned voice answering him.

_ “He could be in trouble, I just got a report about a mass of mana extending over a considerable area around Rf-05.” _

_ “Where are you?” _ Baekhyun asked, ready to teleport them both to their ship.

_ “I’m already there.” _ Jongdae answered, as if he knew Baekhyun was going to ask. He probably did.

It took Baekhyun merely a blink to get beside his  _ kanae _ who was analyzing the screens on the ship and getting ready for their impromptu trip.

“I just got a signal from my ship. It’s from Rf-05.” Jongdae announced.

Dread filled Baekhyun at the realization. Chanyeol was at Rf-05. There was no way for a human to go against anyone there. They wouldn’t let him get away alive.

He saw Jongdae typing in directions for their destination and stopped him with a hand on his wrist.

“We're going at light speed, we can’t afford to be late.”

Chanyeol just needed to hang on for a little longer.

Chanyeol wheezed and gasped for air through the invisible pull tightening his chest. He definitely saw what looked like a giant fireball hitting him full force, so why wasn’t he physically injured?

“You're a fire wielder.” His clone scoffed as if that explained everything. “Come on and act like one.”

Chanyeol barely managed to avoid a blazing line of fire aimed at him and ducked down, hearing his opponent’s pleased laughter at his action.

“Why?” He panted, feeling stuffy. “Why me?”

“I was curious.” The clone shrugged. “You're the one who started everything after all.” Chanyeol's gut twisted at the sight of the sinister smirk stretching on his lips. “And you will also be the one who will help me to end it all.”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol felt the pull again, the intrusive shift in his core, as if his mana was being ripped out of him.

“It'll be my pleasure to destroy you, so my mana will finally recognize me as its sole owner.”

As his clone’s hands curled into fists with sparks ready to turn into flames in them, Chanyeol tried to hide his wince, his insides churning with pain. He barely had the mind to keep up with the conversation.

“And then I’ll get rid of  _ him _ .”

He didn’t need to mention who he was talking about.

The moment he felt a part of his mana getting snatched right out of his core, Chanyeol reached out for it with gritted teeth and for once managed to sustain the immense strain, a smoky feeling stuffing him.

He was acting solely on instinct and honestly had no idea what he was doing, so when he saw the look of pained surprise on his clone's face with a trail of smoke steaming out of his left shoulder, Chanyeol gave himself a little congratulatory pat on his back in his mind.

Maybe Kyungsoo was right, and Chanyeol needed his survival instincts to kick in in order to use his mana properly.

Channeling his own mana was still seemingly impossible for him, but he could still reach out for an existing source ready to be used and shift it even if it was to a minimal extent.

His little victory didn't last long as Chanyeol felt a greater amount of fire materializing in his clone's hands, the creepiest shade of pale blue and white looking straight at him.

He was so fucked.

“Jongdae? Oh god, Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo looked like he was a breath away from getting hysterical, running towards the  _ kanaes _ in front of him. “You're really here.”

Baekhyun’s eyes roamed around the deck, looking for any trace of Chanyeol. He felt small paws against his ankles and crouched down to take Milky in his arms to pet him soothingly. It helped with the rush of panic surging through him. It also explained how Kyungsoo could get in touch with them.

“Where's Chanyeol.” He asked.

Kyungsoo’s eyes turned lost. “I don’t know.” He said. “He said he heard someone calling him and left.”

Baekhyun felt his mana getting restless, trying to reach out to Chanyeol. Milky snuggled against his chest. Jongdae perked up from the screens he was facing, equally worried.

Their reactions caused Kyungsoo to become even more agitated, the human coming to hold him with pleading eyes. “Please Baekhyun, I heard an explosion not long ago-”

Baekhyun had to let Milky down in order to hold up a shaky Kyungsoo, leading him to sit down. Kyungsoo wiped his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing with a weak voice. “He went out there to find you. Please Baekhyun, bring him back safely.”

“Junmyeon’s coming through the nearest bridge.” Jongdae announced. “It shouldn’t take long.”

“How many are there with him?” Baekhyun asked, trying to come up with the best solution.

“Enough to carry on with the plan.” Jongdae said.

“Wait.” Baekhyun frowned, stilling. “Change of plans.”

He was definitely feeling something threatening, but it was so subtle that it would be hard for anyone else to catch on. “Someone's coming.”

Jongdae looked around, trying to figure it out for a few moments and then looking at Baekhyun in wonder. It must have been someone incredibly talented if even Jongdae couldn’t sense them.

“It’s a light wielder. I can feel their illusion.” Baekhyun announced.

“Jongdae, you stay here and protect Kyungsoo until Junmyeon arrives. You’ll have to go on with plan B.” Jongdae's eyes showcased his understanding, and Baekhyun felt the comforting touch of his mana in his own core.

“I’ll go and bring Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun teleported himself further away from the potential danger,  _ his own clone _ , leading him away from the ship and knowing well that he would follow.

His priority was to keep his  _ kanae _ and Kyungsoo safe firstly, and then find Chanyeol to send him back home where he wouldn’t be surrounded by evil clones ready to take him down.

“You can stop that.” He came to a stop at the top of a hill, looking straight in front of himself even though there wasn’t anything in his line of vision. “You know I can feel you.”

“But where's the fun in that?” His clone laughed and Baekhyun felt his vision darkening before he gained control and snatched it back. “Cut it.”

Baekhyun broke down the light barrier distorting his vision and his clone came into view, his white hair contrasting with Baekhyun’s dark ones and an irritating smirk tugging at his lips.

Unlike the last time Baekhyun saw him, his clone's face was void of the dark colors lining his eyes and the deep red on his lips, traded with a fancy looking face chain.

“What a shame.” He tutted. “I was down for an entertaining.. encounter, let’s say.” His words were light and he had a sweet looking smile on his face but Baekhun felt his annoyance lying under. “But all you’re thinking about is that human of yours.”

“You sound jealous.” Baekhyun smirked despite his urgency.

“I don’t like it when things aren’t about me.” His clone shrugged, and Baekhyun could barely feel the tension shifting in his mana. He was really good at being subtle. “So you better pay attention to me if you wanna see him again.”

Baekhyun knew the attack would come. He also wanted to push his clone further and see how far his abilities were reaching. “He has a name.” He pointed his finger in an uninterested manner. “Unlike you.”

He was on time to obliterate the scorching line of light aimed at him, the ghost of his clone's mana still shining in his dark orbs.

Then, with a sinister grin and mocking eyes, his clone disappeared again. Baekhyun looked attentively, trying to find the trick of light, but failed.

He heard the amused laughter of his clone, coming from his left side, then stretching to come from everywhere at once. Standing on alert, he tried to make out the situation. As far as he knew, his clone was extremely talented, but how could he disappear without him seeing through it?

“Illusions? Really?”

Baekhyun focused and finally saw through the light particles, found where it had been distorted and just barely avoided the next attack.

His clone got relentless and launched attack after attack, streaks of light winging between them as they avoided each other's attempts at getting at the other.

An intense amount of mana floated above the air around them, neither of them getting harmed considering their agility.

Baekhyun started getting uneasy once he realized they weren't going to be done soon. Chanyeol needed him but he was stuck fighting an opponent that was supposed to be stronger than him, which he couldn’t even harm with his own mana.

A radiant spectrum of light flared between them as their mana clashed, throwing them both back with the intensity. Baekhyun instinctively reached out for his  _ kanae _ after the hard blow on his core.

“You’re not bad for an ace.” His clone hummed, turning serious.

Baekhyun felt the air around them shifting, all light sources getting pulled in toward his clone. He watched in horror mixed with a tint of fascination as his clone gathered all the roaming mana around them  _ inside _ his body, slowly turning himself into a mass of bright glowing limbs.

He took several steps back, wondering what was exactly happening.

_ “Jongdae, I need your help.” _

Baekhyun started panicking as he watched his clone's body somehow transform itself into light, all his efforts at diverting the intensifying mana or obliterating it going in vain.

Whatever amount or form of light he tried to collect from their surroundings got sucked in by his clone who completely embodied light, leaving Baekhyun defenseless in front of him.

There was only so much he could use against a mass of pure light itself.

_ “I need light, Jongdae. Now.” _

Not a second passed before the murky sky above them tore with flashes of blinding lights, a thunderstorm appearing out of nowhere.

Baekhyun heard the evil laughter from what remained of his clone's physical body before himself, the brightness hurting his eyes despite being a light wielder.

His clone absorbed the flashing lights and Baekhyun could only watch him, his mind turning into a whirlwind of chaos with the empty thunders left to him.

He was about to get burned down with his own source of mana.

_ “Not a thunderstorm, a tornado. Make it messy.” _

He felt the warm, moist air mass rise and cool, vaporing into dark clouds, growing and rising to the sky.

The tornado reached down out of a thundercloud as a huge, swirling rope of air, with a cloud of rotating debris and dust beneath it.

Baekhyun cursed his inability of being immune to weather changes like his  _ kanae _ , trying to stay put as the storm descended like a dagger from the clouds.

The next bolt of lightning didn’t go unnoticed by his clone despite the pouring rain and dust doing a great job to obscure the light emanating from the thundercloud, and Baekhyun was too late to use it to strike.

He blasted light to divert his clone's sight, not sure if it would be effective as his opponent wasn’t bound by a physical body anymore.

The burst of static and deafening rumble emerging from the crazy whirlwind caught Baekhyun’s attention.

He barely avoided a surge of light shooting out of his glowing clone's core, groaning to Jongdae in his mind. 

_ “Strike the arc in the cloud when I tell you, we won’t have a second chance.” _

Okay, he could do this. He just had to be faster than light.

With a deep breath to ready himself, Baekhyun teleported himself right in the middle of the destructive rotating cloud and screamed with all his lungs even though his  _ kanae _ was well able to hear his thoughts.

_ “Now!” _

A flash of light blasted through the dark clouds, a bolt hitting right in the power line and causing an electrical arcing, as bright as a lightning and illuminating the whole sky in various shades of blazing blues.

Baekhyun reached out with a hand and physically grasped the pulsing colorful light source right as his clone was lunging for it to grow even stronger, using all his mana to solidify the immense amount of light and locking the massless wave of energy in a luminous sphere.

What he wasn’t waiting for was his clone to disappear into the orb in his hand as well, having lost his physical body upon embodying light. His mana was still thrumming under Baekhyun’s fingertips, trying to break loose of its confines.

Baekhyun watched the wild momentum trapped in the small orb in his hand, reaching out for his mana to brace himself and obscure it once for all.

Everything felt oddly easy even though Baekhyun’s vision was a little blurry, his core straining.

Chanyeol was barely keeping up with his clone, avoiding scorching fire balls and doing his best to put out the smaller attacks.

He couldn't handle his mana anymore, not that he was good at controlling it to begin with, but his clone was relentless and Chanyeol was drained.

When he finally had a moment to catch his breath, heaving loud exhales and trying to stay up on shaky legs, he sensed that something was fishy. Waves of heat came in from every direction, his clone's arms opened to embrace it.

Chanyeol felt the strain on his core, as if someone was trying to snatch his life source all together. His clone seemed like he was collecting mana from a heat source far from there, maybe even out of the planet. 

Could it be a star? It didn't really matter, all Chanyeol needed to do was to find a way to escape.

His clone's eyes were flaming, two small balls of burning plasma floating above his outstretched hands.

“Shit.” Chanyeol cursed under his breath.

A flash of blinding light followed by a crashing thunder caught both of their attentions, pulling them away from their intense fight for a mere moment.

When a whole series of powerful lightning followed, turning rapidly into a thunderstorm, Chanyeol's eyes widened in realization. Could it be?

“It looks like your friends are here.” His clone scoffed. Chanyeol’s gut twisted at the murderous look he got. “Too bad you won’t get to seem again.”

With a newfound determination, Chanyeol tried to find and aim for any form of fire nearby but failed miserably. This planet was really cursed, without any proper source of heat. The stuffy air was starting to get on his nerves and the continuous flashes of lightning weren’t helping either.

Lightning.

It felt as all the dots suddenly connected in his mind, and Chanyeol came up with what he hoped wasn’t a pitiful plan. He was ready to try and reach out for his clone’s mana like the other had been doing to drain him all this time. 

But it seemed like Jongdae hated him, as the lightning suddenly disappeared, an arising cloud of dust appearing in the distance instead.

Chanyeol took a look at his clone again, blanching at the horrifying sight of his hands full of plasma and ready to strike at any moment.

Hoping for the best, Chanyeol closed his eyes to concentrate and waited.

A flash of blinding light brightened the sky, a contrasting blue from the regular lightnings before. It lingered for a second, pulsed before shifting colors and painting the sky a deep tinted orange.

Chanyeol felt the destructive amount of electrical discharges and decided to go for it. It was now or never.

He felt his mana getting relentless and used its connection with his clone to intensify it, watching as the impressive bolt connected with the ground with a shaking force then giving his all to reach for it.

An uncontrollable amount of mana surged out of his core as Chanyeol finally managed to control the flaming bolt, pulling it up and out of the ground before redirecting it toward his clone.

It got out of hand with the intense amount of mana and electrical charges unleashing from the bolt, the flames Chanyeol managed to produce turning a blazing blue as they shot his clone square on his chest.

Chanyeol waited for the pulling sensation on his gut to cease, for his clone to finally let him go, but the other was unrelenting even as he lost his footing, stumbling backwards to regain his balance, hands still full with a massive amount of plasma.

Chanyeol couldn't figure out why his clone wasn’t doing anything, then got distracted for a second by the red sky above them shining upon his blue flames scattered around.

Did he really manage to do that by himself?

He was too late to do anything when he noticed that his flames were also in his clone's hold, spreading wildly and shaping into giant balls of fire. The smirk stretched on his clone's face was murderous, and Chanyeol could do nothing besides thinking that was how his life would end.

Then, in between jumbled thoughts and emotions, he saw Baekhyun.

It all happened before even Chanyeol could process it was happening. All of the flames disappeared in a blink, which made Chanyeol realize that Baekhyun was really in front of him, motioning him to do something he couldn’t understand.

When his clone growled in anger, opening and closing his eyes with a long string of curses, Chanyeol used the moment of distraction to feel around for the invisible flames.

Baekhyun was pointing at his clone's core, busy taking away the light from his eyes.

Chanyeol reached out for his clone's unleashed mana and shaped it as best as he could, using it to gather every source of heat around and strike his clone right on his core this time.

He felt the excruciating pain as his clone's core shattered, unable to keep up with the excessive amount of mana and the intensity of Chanyeol’s blue flames burning it down.

The unbearable pain pushed Chanyeol to his knees on the ground, hearing his clone's loud cry as a lightning fell upon him, Baekhyun taking care of the situation.

Baekhyun was by his side in a blink, holding him upright with a firm hold on his shoulders while kneeling in front of him. Chanyeol couldn’t believe his eyes. He couldn’t feel half of his body and he was sure he looked like shit with all the running and pathetic fighting he did, but Baekhyun still looked beautiful as always, with his tousled dark hair and bright eyes and glowing tattoo.

“Why?” Chanyeol managed to get out, trying to breathe through the smoke burning his lungs. Baekhyun’s cold fingertips pressing on his face felt like a miracle. “Why didn’t you come back?”

Baekhyun got a secured grip around Chanyeol’s waist and held him closer to his own body when the latter's knees couldn’t hold him up anymore. He really tried to hold on but his clone took every ounce of energy he had, leaving him as a boneless mess in Baekhyun’s hold.

Now that they stood closer to each other, Chanyeol saw how Baekhyun’s pupils were shaking through the haze filling his mind, reaching out to feel the softness of his skin in return.

“I needed to make sure that you were safe.” Baekhyun said as Chanyeol smothered the crease between his eyebrows.

“Well,” Chanyeol chuckled, a series of coughs following it. Baekhyun looked like he was about to cry. “It seems like I have a thing for aliens now, I needed to see you.”

Baekhyun snorted in disbelief and Chanyeol chased a lone tear that rolled down his pretty face, feeling the comforting buzz of his tattoo with his finger.

“You're so stupid.” Baekhyun sniffled, closing the distance between their faces and pressing a chaste kiss to Chanyeol’s dry lips.

Chanyeol felt like the fog dissipated and he could breathe again for a second before losing consciousness.

“Chanyeol! Oh my god, Baekhyun, what happened?” Kyungsoo was all over them as soon as Baekhyun teleported a passed out Chanyeol and himself to the ship, the human probably losing his mind by himself for what must have felt longer than hours.

“He's okay, Kyungsoo. He’ll just sleep for a while.” Baekhyun tried to reassure him the least bit, checking their surroundings outside and taking in the number of the spacecrafts scattered around, the sky a brownish red by now.

Kyungsoo had every right to be scared as he was a stranger to all the commotion while being all alone on a gloomy planet. Even the thunderstorm might have been enough for him to lose his mind.

At least he was in total security here, with Jongdae's protective barriers surrounding the ship. Anyone else than the two  _ kanaes _ trying to get in would have a good time getting their brains fried.

“Are  _ you _ okay?” Kyungsoo asked again and Baekhyun realized he had a hard time standing on his own, let alone carrying Chanyeol with the taller’s arm around his shoulder.

“I’m alright.” He said, tightening his hold on Chanyeol’s waist. “Let’s get him to a bed and I’ll give him some power to replenish.”

With Kyungsoo’s help, they went on the lower deck where a small room with two beds was situated and laid Chanyeol down.

Baekhyun felt around for Milky and as if on cue, his mediator came to rub herself around his calf. He picked her up to give her a few gentle rubs, relaxing with the easing mana she carried.

His own fingers were shaking as Baekhyun used his connection with Milky to pass Chanyeol a remarkable amount of his own mana, using it as a direct source of light to replenish Chanyeol's drained core.

When Chanyeol's face had the least bit of color and his breathing sounded more peaceful, Baekhyun let his heavy body drop against the human’s side on the bed.

“Let’s go to Elyxion.” Baekhyun mumbled to Kyungsoo, barely keeping himself awake. He needed some time to restore some mana. “Jongdae put it on the system beforehand, you just...activate...system.”

Chanyeol woke up on an unfamiliar bed, blinking his eyes open and squinting to see through the brightness in the room. The first thing he saw was his best friend sitting right by his side.

“Chanyeol? You're up?”

Kyungsoo’s voice was so relieved that Chanyeol wondered how long he was asleep. He tried to recall what happened but found a giant hole in his memory after seeing Baekhyun.

He nodded and opened his mouth to ask where they were, but only managed out a weak croaking sound that turned into painful coughing. Kyungsoo was quick to push a glass of water in his shaky hands, helping him to take little sips to ease his burning throat.

“How long was I asleep?” He asked, taking in the little tube going in his arm and then his surroundings. It didn’t look like a hospital but he was somehow treated, for what he wasn’t so sure.

“Three days.” Kyungsoo answered, smiling at his shocked reaction. “I was out of my mind even though Baekhyun said it was normal, he said you used way more mana than you could handle.” He explained, and Chanyeol could feel an oncoming headache along with his memories.

“Where is he?”

“He had some business to take care of.” Kyungsoo said, leaning back against his chair. “Jongdae kinda blew up Rf-05 by himself and they’re still dealing with what's remaining of it. We’ve been in his house much more than him for the past three days.”

Chanyeol’s brain short circuited with all the questions he wanted to ask.

“Jongdae did what by himself?” He settled on asking first.

They both knew the aliens were powerful beyond their imagination, Chanyeol couldn’t forget the sudden thunderstorm and the flashes of color painting the sky, but still, the fact that Jongdae was powerful enough to destroy a planet by himself was beyond impressive.

“I’d love to explain it to you in detail because what he did was awesome but you wouldn’t understand much about magnetic fields and neurons.” Kyungsoo had a teasing tint to his voice and Chanyeol agreed to him internally. Physics simply wasn’t his thing.

“And Baekhyun is supposed to be the stronger one out of the two of them.” He hummed. “That's.. kinda scary.”

“I’m impressed you didn’t say hot.” Kyungsoo snorted.

Chanyeol laughed because he totally thought about that too. He downed a few soothing sips of his water and slumped back against the pillow Kyungsoo placed on his back.

“I think-” Kyungsoo started, pausing to rephrase whatever he was about to say. It unsettled Chanyeol a little, fearing something bad happened. “I think they're leaving this place too, I’m not sure though. I just heard them talking about it briefly.”

Chanyeol’s stomach dropped. He didn’t think about what they would do in the future yet, uncertain what was exactly happening between Baekhyun and him. But what if the alien would disappear for good? Wouldn't they see each other ever again?

“Where to?” His voice came out as a shaky whisper, but it turned into a silent confusion when he saw his best friend judging him hard with his stare.

“I think it's better if you ask him yourself.” Kyungsoo sighed, shaking his head.

Someone came to check on Chanyeol during the day, taking out the tube from his forearm to give him a disgusting liquid to drink instead. Kyungsoo seemed close enough with the man so Chanyeol didn’t question anything before following his instructions. 

It didn’t take long for the medicine to kick in, and Chanyeol felt much better while breathing, yet his body still felt worn out. He didn’t do much besides napping throughout the day and staying in bed, trying not to feel stupidly giddy over the fact that he was in Baekhyun’s bed.

It was hours later, or what felt like hours later, when Chanyeol saw Baekhyun again. No matter how much Chanyeol prepared himself beforehand, he couldn’t help the surprised gasp leaving his lips upon seeing the alien.

Baekhyun looked stunning enough for Chanyeol’s breath to catch and he ended up choking on air, eventually catching the alien's attention.

“Chanyeol, you’re awake.” It wasn’t a question, just Baekhyun casually stating it out as his eyes shifted to a clear blue to check him out thoroughly.

Chanyeol sat up in the bed, watching Baekhyun coming closer and sitting at the end of it. He heard a door closing in the house, Kyungsoo’s blatant way to give them privacy.

“Baekhyun.” It was all Chanyeol could come up with. It still didn’t feel real that Baekhyun was really in front of him.

“How are you feeling?” Baekhyun scooted closer to place a delicate on Chanyeol's cheek, checking his temperature. The coolness of his smooth hand on Chanyeol’s warm cheek made him feel better than he did the whole day.

“I’m.. okay.” He said, eyeing the sparks running down Baekhyun’s tattoo.

“Have you had dinner yet?” Baekhyun asked, not taking his hand away. 

Chanyeol had a hard time to come up with an answer. “Yeah. Yeah, Kyungsoo fixed dinner for us.” He took in Baekhyun’s delicate features, the pale shade of his smooth skin. “Do you.. are you okay?”

“I’m tired.” Baekhyun sighed, and Chanyeol could nearly see the exhaustion pouring out of his eyes. “Do you mind if I..” Baekhyun stopped, unsure, and gestured to the bed, beside Chanyeol.

“Of course.” Chanyeol made space beside himself, patting it in invitation. Come here.”

Baekhyun sat beside Chanyeol, not leaving any space at all and leaned his head on a broad shoulder, letting a deep sigh out.

“I missed this.” He hummed, and Chanyeol nearly choked again. God, he really missed Baekhyun and he had no idea if hugging him tightly right now would be weird or not. “I missed you.” Baekhyun said, leaning his head back to look at Chanyeol’s face, the lack of space between their faces driving Chanyeol crazy.

All Chanyeol’s brain could focus on were those words, with the sight of Baekhyun’s pink mouth, the pretty bow of his lips, the faint mole above them.

“Baekhyun.” He breathed, not strong enough to come up with anything else to say. He wanted, he wanted so much, and even though Baekhyun kissed him twice before, he couldn’t be sure of their meaning.

Chanyeol’s last sight before he lost himself in the feeling of Baekhyun’s soft lips pressing into his slightly chapped ones was the flickering colors of Baekhyun’s tattoo.

Baekhyun had a firm hold on Chanyeol’s neck, effectively pulling him down and pressing him closer against himself. His colder lips felt like they were burning against Chanyeol’s ones, igniting a deep spark in the human’s gut and easing him into a dull state at the same time.

Chanyeol let out a sigh and sucked on Baekhyun’s plumper lower lip, nearly dying on the spot when he heard Baekhyun’s quiet whimper and felt him getting insistent against his mouth.

Somewhere in between the wet and burning slide of their lips, Chanyeol found himself with a lapful of Baekhyun that he was holding on tightly and empty lungs screaming for air.

Still, he couldn’t get enough of the sensation and kept on kissing Baekhyun, until hazy little spots started dancing in front of his eyes. Chanyeol wasn’t sure if he was still feeling his fingertips holding on Baekhyun’s cheek and neck.

Baekhyun was the first one to lean away and as if on cue, Chanyeol started wheezing for air, his lungs still sensitive after the strain. He barely heard Baekhyun’s laughter in between his gasps, feeling the soft press of his hands rubbing over his back gently.

“Sorry.” Baekhyun chuckled when Chanyeol’s coughs turned into soft pants. “I didn’t mean to-”

Chanyeol couldn’t help himself but cut him off by pressing one more kiss to his puffy lips, reveling in the way Baekhyun gasped in surprise and reciprocated the kiss for a few seconds, leaning away far too soon for Chanyeol’s liking.

“You need to rest.” Baekhyun smiled against his lips, bumping their foreheads together softly.

Chanyeol felt in a daze, looking at Baekhyun’s face inches away from his own. He looked unreal. And so beautiful. Chanyeol barely repressed the urge to blurt it out.

He didn’t let Baekhyun when the other tried to get off his lap to take his place beside him on the bed, holding onto his slim waist tightly.

Baekhyun must have caught on to the insecurity in his eyes because Chanyeol suddenly got into a firm hug with Baekhyun leaning against his chest and hugging him around his waist. His soft hair was brushing Chanyeol’s jaw and Chanyeol couldn't resist the urge to press a small kiss on top of his head.

“Why-” Chanyeol started, not sure if he really wanted to ask it. He was terrified of the answer even though he was feeling like he shouldn’t be. Baekhyun kept rubbing his back in small, comforting circles and Chanyeol reminded himself that this was Baekhyun and he shouldn’t hesitate. But still-

“Why do you keep kissing me?” He blurted, cutting his long train of thoughts suffocating him.

He didn’t know why the thought of Baekhyun being interested in him was so impossible to him, but it just seemed like a distant reality. Baekhyun kept talking about going back home when he was on Earth, and even though Chanyeol could understand that he was probably homesick, Baekhyun also told him he wasn’t missing Elyxion either.

Baekhyun was longing for his  _ kanae _ , so now that they were together, why was he still kissing Chanyeol? Why was why everything about him so confusing?

“Chanyeol.” Baekhyun said, leaning back to look at him. His gaze was so soft and his face so beautiful that Chanyeol wanted to melt right there. “I like you.”

What?

“What do you mean you like me?”

A small smile stretched at the corners of Baekhyun’s lips, making his face look even brighter than it already was. “I like you, Chanyeol.” He chuckled, his cheeks squishing up. “Like the main characters in those dramas I watched. I want to see you everyday, to hold you and to just.. be with you.” His eyes and tattoo were glowing in that clear shade of blue that Chanyeol loved so much to see, and this time, he was actually sure that the slow swirls were matching his heartbeat. Baekhyun held Chanyeol’s face in his hands and his voice dropped lower as he kept talking. “You're the first thing I’ve ever wanted for myself in my life, Chanyeol. It’s the first time I’m feeling something I wasn’t ordered to feel and want to do something I wasn't tasked to do.”

Baekhyun liked him.

Baekhyun wanted him.

Baekhyun-

“But what about- what about Jongdae?” Chanyeol asked, and Baekhyun burst into laughter.

“What about him?” He leaned in even closer and Chanyeol had a hard time thinking. What about Jongdae?

“He’s your  _ kanae _ ?” Chanyeol tried.

“So?” Baekhyun grinned. “ _ Kanaes  _ don’t have to be together, you know? In fact, so little of us are actually couples like that. I’m pretty sure I’ve told you about this before.”

Chanyeol had a hard time processing. “But- you were so sad without him, I thought.. I don’t know..”

“Chanyeol.” Baekhyun squished his cheeks between his hands and chuckled at the sight. Chanyeol’s heart squeezed. “Jongdae's everything I know, he’s the only person who was by my side during my whole life. And he is my  _ kanae _ . My mana can only be sated when he's near me.”

“So you- you really like me? You  _ like _ like me?” Chanyeol asked through his squished cheeks. He needed to hear it again, he needed to be sure that this was actually happening.

“Yes Chanyeol.” Baekhyun giggled. “I like you.”

“Oh my god.” Chanyeol gasped.

Baekhyun was here, happily giggling in his lap, and Baekhyun  _ liked _ him.

He held on Baekhyun’s hands to peel them off his face, kissing his knuckles before leaning in to catch his lips into a slow kiss.

Chanyeol was dizzy from feeling Baekhyun everywhere when Baekhyun leaned back and let them both catch their breaths, hugging him against his chest again.

Baekhyun turned his head a little to nose down Chanyeol’s neck, the action both comforting and raising chills all over Chanyeol's body.

“Do you wanna come to see Aether with me tomorrow?” He asked after some time, his fingers tracing random patterns over Chanyeol’s chest. “I don’t really want you to meet him, if I have to be honest, but he's the only one who can actually say something about your mana.”

Chanyeol felt Baekhyun’s hesitation, and he was also scared, the man wasn’t the most friendly person out there from what he remembered. But it should be okay with Baekhyun by his side. “Alright, if you’ll be with me.”

“Of course I will.” Baekhyun reassured him, taking his hand to hold it firmly.

Baekhyun rested his head against Chanyeol’s chest in silence for a while, both of them enjoying each other's presence.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked again, and Chanyeol hummed, playing with Baekhyun’s soft hair at his nape.

“Would you mind it if I came back to Earth with you?”

“You mean… for good?” Chanyeol asked, hope already flickering in his chest.

“Yeah.” Baekhyun's sound was so small, as if he was doubting whether Chanyeol would want him or not.

Chanyeol helped Baekhyun to sit up straight in his lap so he could see his face. “You’ll keep living with me?”

“Only if you want.” Baekhyun shrugged, but Chanyeol could see how much it mattered to him.

“Of course. Oh my god, Baekhyun, of course I want that.” Chanyeol pushed Baekhyun’s fluffy hair out of his face and pressed a loud kiss on his cheek, unable to keep his excitement away.

Baekhyun giggled again and Chanyeol saw the waves of glittering blues running up and down his tattoo.

“Will you be okay though?” Chanyeol asked. “I mean- will you leave your life here behind you?” The last thing he wanted was to keep Baekhyun away from something again.

“I don’t have a life here, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun said, leaning in Chanyeol’s touch on his face. “I only had duties, and now I feel like I don’t have a purpose anymore.”

“And Jongdae?” Chanyeol asked.

“He’s still thinking. He was in the middle of a project, so he’ll roam around for a bit. But he’ll eventually come.” Baekhyun explained.

“I’m glad.” Chanyeol said. He couldn’t imagine Baekhyun living without Jongdae, having both witnessed it and hearing Baekhyun’s explanation. They must have pondered about this for some time now, Chanyeol thought. It was a big decision, and he couldn't judge them if they needed time for it.

“Let’s sleep.” Baekhyun said, and proceeded to take his place beside Chanyeol, facing him to fit himself against the human’s chest.

It felt familiar and peaceful, with both of them falling asleep in each other's embrace.

The next morning passed in a blurry daze, and Chanyeol was already at Aether’s sort of office with Baekhyun before he could make out what was happening.

Sensing his distress, Baekhyun took a hold of his hand to run his thumb over his knuckles, distracting him with his comforting presence.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” He whispered. “I’ll find another way to check your state.”

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol whispered back. He didn’t want to meet the old man, but he also wanted to be over with it as soon as possible and not cause Baekhyun anymore problems. “I’m ready.”

He was not. He wasn’t ready when a man came out of the room they were supposed to enter, exchanging a few words with Baekhyun in their own language before telling them they were expected inside.

He wasn’t ready when Baekhyun pressed a gentle hand to his back and led them inside.

He certainly wasn’t ready to feel an intense gaze on his face, refusing to meet it and taking in his surroundings instead.

The room was.. unnervingly normal. Chanyeol wasn’t sure what he was expecting, probably something more grandiose, expensive furniture or a design similar to those in his beloved sci-fi movies. But it looked like everything was unimportant and the whole focus was supposed to be on Aether.

Chanyeol mustered up the courage and finally looked at the man in his seat who was watching him with a blank expression on his face. His grey eyes were so unsettling that Chanyeol had to remind himself that Baekhyun was beside him to feel better. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the intense ones directed at him, feeling a distant uneasiness creeping under his skin. He wasn’t feeling good about those eyes.

“Your mana seems like it recognizes you, after all this time.” Aether said, and Chanyeol suddenly found himself lost in his past, watching his long lost memories through a thick curtain of fog.

  
  
  


_ “They’re my friends!” His 6 years old self was excited to present them to the kind man that approached him when he was playing by himself. _

_ “They?” The man’s eyes were a little weird, but it was okay because he had a little smile on his face and he was interested in Chanyeol's friends. _

_ Nobody else approached him to ask about them before. _

_ “Yes!” Chanyeol exclaimed, patting the small kitten that always came to him for snuggles. She was so small and had the softest white fur, and Chanyeol loved to pet her. “This is snowie, and this is Baekhyunnie. He protects me with his superpowers!” _

_ The man wasn’t like the other adults, he seemed to see Baekhyun, unlike his mom who scolded him whenever Chanyeol mentioned his invisible friend. _

_ “Would you want superpowers for yourself?” He asked, and Chanyeol saw his grey eyes sparkling. Like magic. _

_ “So I won’t be sick anymore?” He asked with his innocent curiosity. _

_ “Yes.” The man assured him. “And you can be as strong as Baekhyun.” _

_ That would be awesome. _

_ “Yes!” _

  
  
  


“You gave it to me.” Chanyeol said, his voice barely above a whisper.

He remembered feeling like burning alive, remembered the nightmares his mind locked out a long time ago, the fire that didn’t leave him for a long time, until it suddenly disappeared one day.

“You gave me my mana, and it nearly destroyed me.” His tone was accusing, but Aether didn’t seem bothered at all.

“It did keep you alive, and you managed to channel it on a few occasions.” He said nonchalantly, and a blazing fire started brewing in Chanyeol’s gut.

“I was dying!” His voice came out as a broken cry, and Chanyeol felt Baekhyun’s hand trembling at the small of his back. Maybe it was his own body shaking. “I was burning everyday and nothing couldn’t stop it!”

He heard something about being ungrateful but the stuffy feeling of smoke filled his lungs once again, this time reminding him of his younger self, calling for help for the fire inside of him that no one was seeing.

Chanyeol barely saw Baekhyun’s sparkly eyes in front of him, a wave of his comforting mana filling him and letting him to breathe properly. His heart was still squeezing painfully, all the memories rushing in causing a deep ache inside him that wouldn’t subside anytime soon.

“You didn’t save my life, Aether.” He spat out, trying to ease the ache in his heart by holding Baekhyun's hand with a shaky grip. “You’re just a greedy man that experimented on a sickly child.”

Chanyeol was so done. He didn’t want to be anywhere near the disgusting man. “I don’t owe you anything.” He said and turned around, ready to leave. “I’ll wait for you outside.” He told Baekhyun before getting out and trying to breathe properly.

“I see where you picked up that insolence from.” He heard Aether tell Baekhyun, before the latter started speaking in their own language, a firm edge to his voice.

Chanyeol was mostly okay when Baekhyun came out of the room as well, his hard eyes softening upon seeing him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make a scene.” Chanyeol said, welcoming Baekhyun into his arms.

“It’s okay.” Baekhyun muttered against his chest, hugging him tighter. “I didn't think you’d remember it though.”

Chanyeol leaned him away from his body to look in his eyes. “Did you know about it? That he gave me a core?”

“Yeah.” Baekhyun said, looking apologetic. He took Chanyeol’s hand into his own and started to fiddle with his finger as he used to do. It was a comforting habit for the both of them. “Jongdae found Red Force’s diary in the facility, we found out about his plans and past activities together.” His voice sounded unsure. “Are you mad that I kept it from you?”

Chanyeol thought about it. Not that he would be mad at Baekhyun, it hadn’t even been a full day since they were together again. But he was thinking if he’d ever want to know the truth. The truth that he somehow avoided until today, the memories that he tried to erase so bad.

“I’m thankful.” He opted to say, looking Baekhyun’s features shifting into a blatant surprise. “That you brought light to those years I’ve been trying to lock into darkness. All those memories won’t feel like a burden anymore.”

Baekhyun’s expression was filled with so much adoration that Chanyeol’s heart ached. He hugged the smaller tightly against his body and pressed a kiss on the top of his fluffy hair, feeling the easy flow of his mana around himself.

This was okay. They were okay.

It was another three days before they were ready to go, Baekhyun and Jongdae busy for the most of the time, packing their stuff whenever they could find the opportunity to go home.

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, in the meantime, got the chance to roam around, satisfying their curiosity. Never in his life Chanyeol thought he could digest alien food, and that it would be actually good on top of that.

The best part of it all was that Chanyeol was welcoming Baekhyun home everyday, cuddling him until he fell asleep in the evenings, and just feeling his soothing mana was enough to brighten his days.

He got the least bit better at containing his own mana, still not using it but keeping himself from losing control and letting the burning feeling fill his chest. Baekhyun assured him that it would get easier with time, especially with the fact that Milky was there to keep his mana in control whenever Baekhyun wasn’t around himself.

Baekhyun and Jongdae were hugging in the main flight deck of the massive spacecraft for quite a time now, both of them reluctant to let the other go. Chanyeol wasn’t sure how long it would be until Jongdae would eventually come on Earth, with his perception of time having disappeared completely over the last days.

At least Baekhyun was in possession of his own mana now, and he could get in touch with his  _ kanae _ whenever he wanted.

Still, it was a big decision to take for the two aliens to leave their own planet and go to Earth, so it was only normal that they were seeking each other’s presence.

“Just tell me if you ever need my help, okay?” Baekhyun asked, patting Jongdae's hair lovingly. Jongdae swatted his hand away but he had an affectionate smile on his face. “I’ll be there in a second.”

“Don’t miss me too much. I’ll be there soon.” Jongdae replied, hugging Baekhyun again despite having pushed him away seconds ago.

Chanyeol watched both of their tattoos glowing in bright colors, and then they bid their goodbyes to Jongdae with Kyungsoo before the alien left them.

Baekhyun had a bittersweet smile as he took control of the ship, entering the exact location before taking off. Chanyeol didn’t want to pressure him and left him be for a while.

After what felt like too long for a journey, Chanyeol felt his eyes dropping, his shoulders weighing him down. Chanyeol thought it wasn’t a good idea to stay up until later with Baekhyun last night, but then remembered the exquisite sight of the stars stretching over the sky from the top of the facility, where Baekhyun admitted coming often when he felt lonely.

Baekhyun kicked the autopilot mode in after they went through what Kyungsoo called a wormhole, -Jongdae told Chanyeol they were called bridges too and Chanyeol definitely preferred that option- turning around in his seat to check on them.

“Tired?” He asked Chanyeol, who was close to dozing off.

Chanyeol only hummed, refraining from making grabby hands to the alien and taking a look on his best friend. Kyungsoo shook his head and went back on whatever he was doing on a small screen, clearly judging him but Chanyeol could also see the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.

“There’s not much left.” Baekhyun said, pointing outside. “Do you want to rest until we get there?”

Chanyeol’s insides brimmed with warmth at the caring tone of the alien. He nodded and chuckled upon seeing Baekhyun’s content expression, his cheeks glowing under the low lights.

“You better not fuck in there or I won’t ever let it go down.” Kyungsoo stated casually and Chanyeol spluttered. He checked to see if Baekhyun was close enough to hear it and let out a relieved breath when he couldn’t see him.

“What the hell, Soo?”

“I think I’ve heard enough for the past few days, now you better let me go home in peace or I’ll be traumatized beyond repair.” Kyungsoo said and Chanyeol felt all his blood rushing to his face.

His ears were already burning as he tried to deny. “I don’t- we didn’t… Soo..” He whined.

“That's even worse.” Kyungsoo snorted. “I didn’t need to know you were both loud fucks when you weren’t even doing anything.”

“Okay, I’m going to  _ sleep _ now.” Chanyeol said and left a laughing Kyungsoo behind him.

“What happened with Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun asked when Chanyeol went in the small deck meant to rest and sleep. Baekhyun was already lying down on his side and Chanyeol tried to keep his eyes from roaming over his form.

“Ugh, nothing.” He lied, taking his place beside Baekhyun. The bed was definitely too small, and as much as Chanyeol loved to snuggle with Baekhyun, he wasn’t a fan of his legs cramping. “You know, just Kyungsoo and his dumb self.” He let out the most awkward laugh he had in his entire laugh and tried not to look in Baekhyun’s eyes.

Baekhyun only hummed and Chanyeol could literally hear the smile in it. The alien scooted even closer to him, if that was even possible on the tiny bed, stuffing his face into Chanyeol’s sensitive neck and leaving a gleeful little sigh against the skin.

Chanyeol shuddered and tried not to flinch when he felt the soft press of Baekhyun’s lips against his throat. “You know..” Baekhyun started, his voice muffled by Chanyeol’s burning skin. “You actually never told me you liked me back.”

He leaned away when Chanyeol froze, uncertainty flashing though his dark eyes. “I mean, you don’t have to- I’m not- I’m not trying to pressure you or anything, I just-”

“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol cut him off. He watched the silver trace of Baekhyun’s tattoo come to life with the brightest shade of blue.

Chanyeol found himself frozen with his jaw hanging open, taking in Baekhyun's beauty inches away from his face. His hopeful eyes were shining so brightly that Chanyeol's heart ached with how much he wanted to prove his feelings.

“Do you want me to show it to you instead?” He asked, and his heart nearly stopped when Baekhyun’s gaze shifted as he shivered, his lips parting in surprise.

A little nod was everything Chanyeol needed to lean in and catch Baekhyun’s inviting lips with his own, the alien sighing into his mouth with the first contact and pressing in closer to his body.

Chanyeol sucked in a breath and bit on Baekhyun’s lower lip when the other’s hands wandered under his shirt, cold fingers splaying over his broad back. Baekhyun let out a contented little noise that sparked a burning fire in Chanyeol’s gut, nipping at his lip in return before whispering against his mouth.

“You're so warm, Yeol. I like it so much.”

Chanyeol cursed under his breath and held himself up on his elbow to press Baekhyun into the bed under himself, groaning when Baekhyun delved right into his mouth, slow and deep and wet.

When Chanyeol angled Baekhyun’s head to press a wet trail of kisses down from his jaw to the smooth expanse of his neck, Baekhyun let out a soft cry before pressing a thigh against Chanyeol and whining when the other leaned away, panting against his peaking collarbones.

“Kyungsoo will kill me.” Chanyeol said, his voice deep enough to erupt goosebumps over Baekhyun’s skin.

Baekhyun huffed an unbelieving laugh. “I can’t believe you're thinking about your best friend right now.”

That was only partly true. The only thing Chanyeol could think about was the way Baekhyun's lips were shining in a deep color, the way his skin glowed under the dim lights or the way he was whining with his every word.

Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun's tattoo flashed a vibrant blue, and not a second later, loud music reached his ears from the main flight deck.

He chuckled when Baekhyun pressed him to the bed with a swift move to kiss him urgently, both of them laughing when they heard Kyungsoo’s disbelieving yell.

_ “Oh my God, I hate you both!!” _


End file.
